Lie With the Devil
by FreyjaBee
Summary: A demon killed Mira's mother and father and wants the rest of the Strausses blood to finish the job. Laxus is fighting a battle much closer to home. M for violence, sexual content, substance abuse, harsh language and other mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

_Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima_

 **Warnings:** This fan fiction will be dark. There will be a lot of mature themes, angst, graphic depictions of violence, oodles of sexual content eventually. Mature audiences only, please.

 **Lie with the Devil**

(Previously _The Demon in Me)_

* * *

She lay on the grass staring up at an impossibly blue sky. There were three clouds, all clustered together. She tried to make shapes out of them but could not.

"I see a tiger," Lisanna whispered.

"I see a bull," Elfman confirmed.

"And I see a demon," added an unfamiliar voice. Mira cocked her head to the right and found she could, too. The clouds turned yellow. Then orange. Then red. The fresh spring day turned scalding hot. Mira couldn't breathe.

* * *

She woke coughing, choking, hacking and gagging. A wicked noise bellowed in her ears. Her skin was hot and soaked in sweat.

Her eyes peeled open. She couldn't see much of anything. Grey, mostly. Black. And yellow. Orange. Red. Like in her dream. She took a breath in through her mouth; her lungs rejected every part of it. Mirajane Strauss turned in her single bed and coughed so hard she almost threw up.

 _Why?_

 _Fire_ , her sluggish mind suggested. Her family's log house was burning.

"Mira!" A familiar voice penetrated the grey darkness. "Mira! Mira where are you?"

 _Lisanna._

The young girl's voice barely travelled through the walls, small and weak.

 _Get up. Get up._

"Lisanna!" She had meant to be loud, but her voice came out strangled.

 _Get_ up. Her limbs felt heavy. _It's the smoke._ She was suffocating to death in her bed. _That_ gave Mira the motivation needed to shuck the blankets off her body. It was even hotter outside of them. She sat up and thoughtlessly put her feet to the floor. Instead of the coolness she had come to expect when her bare skin kissed the wood, she was met with a terrible burning sensation. She bit back a yell as her feet blistered and pulled them back up on her bed. A large portion of the soles of her feet were left behind.

She wanted to cry. There was no time for tears. Bright light pulsed behind her mostly closed door. The fire was eating through the hallway. The house groaned. There was one time, when she was small, a bolt of lightning made the barn catch fire; Mira and her father had stood outside and watched the whole thing burn to the ground in minutes.

Now the house was making the same noises the barn had just before it collapsed.

 _Just bear it. Stand._ Burned feet and pain were worth her life.

Clenching her teeth, she summoned every bit of grit she possessed and forced herself to stand. Again, the floor was way, way too hot. Her feet were bleeding. Then they were cauterized.

"Lisanna?" She thought for sure her voice was too quiet again. It tore out of her chest and fell flat against the rising smoke in her bedroom.

"Mira!" Lisanna's voice was almost a whisper against the crackling flames.

"I'm coming, Lisanna!" _Where is Elfman? Mom and dad? Why haven't they come for us?_

 _Maybe they can't._

It took more bravery than she thought she possessed to wrench back her bedroom door. Looking beyond that barrier meant truly appreciating the damage. Coming to terms with reality. _We're going to die if you don't._

She grabbed the doorknob. Pain lanced through her palm, into her wrist, up her elbow. Mira cried, _screamed._ It wasn't enough. She still pulled open the door.

Smoke and heat and flames poured into her room. She staggered back, eyes closed, and threw her hands over her face, trying to block out the heat. Tears leaked over her lashes only to evaporate. The fire in the hall blazed and blazed and blazed. Mercilessly.

 _I can't. I can't._

Lisanna hadn't called her in several long seconds.

 _She's dying._

Or dead.

 _I can't._

 _I have to._

She took her hands away from her face and looked out into the hallway again. The flames had started licking at her doorframe.

 _Go out the window._

That meant leaving Lisanna. And Elfman. And mom and dad.

 _I can't._ She didn't feel brave enough to step into the fire.

"Daddy!" Mira hadn't called her father that in _years._ It just slipped out. "Daddy, please! Help!"

 _'You are beyond help now.'_

Mira thought that the smoke was getting to her head, that she imagined the words. Yet something moved in the flames.

 _Something's alive out there._

Not something. Some _one._

"Daddy! Lisanna is trapped, and I can't—I can't get her. I don't know where Elfman is—"

The flames consolidated into something humanoid. Arms and legs appeared, a mouth. Black holes for eyes. "It brings me pleasure to send Strauss' _whelps_ to hell." The voice was rasping and unfamiliar. Mira's body alit in goosebumps. The thing reached for her. "Join your father for his sins."

She was too slow to pull out of its grasp. Fingers made of flame closed around her arm. Her skin blistered. The smell of burning flesh and hair lifted into the air, competing for the chance to make her sick.

"Let go! Let go of me!" Mira tried to yank back out of the creature's grasp and could not.

"There are no second chances when you take on the Inferie. You'll all burn."

Mira pulled back. This time the skin on her arm sloughed off, allowing her to slip from the thing's grip. She tripped over her yellow carpet, falling so hard she smacked her head on the floor. Dazed, she stared at the ceiling for two whole beats. Then she was staring at the flame man. _Flame demon_ , her mind suggested. She'd never seen a demon. In fact, she thought them to be legends. At least, she used to.

"Look at me while you die." It reached for her, fingers searching, flames extending.

 _You're going to die here and Lisanna is going to burn up._

"Mira!" A new voice called her.

 _Elfman._

The demon paused and looked back into the hallway. Mira followed his gaze. Elfman stood in a set of light blue pajamas, his hands wrapped tightly around his stuffed bear. His hair stuck up at odd angles, his eyes were wider than saucers, his skin chalk-white and sweaty. Fire raged all around him. He was a boy nearly consumed in flame.

"Mira, what's happening?"

Mira said the only thing she could think. "Run, Elfman! Run! Get Lisanna!" He took a step in the right direction but looked torn. Mira felt mindless. " _Go_!"

His indecision earned him the full attention of the demon. "There is no escape, every single one of you will pay for your father's transgressions." The demon lifted a flame covered hand and whipped a thread of fire at Elfman.

A second went by where nothing happened. Then Elfman screamed and clutched his face, blood dripping between his fingers over his right eye.

All that red. Mira stared at it and felt something inside her get as taut as a bowstring. And then it snapped. She reached out a shaking hand, driven on by some instinct, unmindful of any pain or flames that tried to consume her, and gripped the demon's ankle.

Coolness rose up from her body, leaching into every single pore. And then she was burning. Burning, but not hurting. Her heart swelled and filled with something dark as the flames took over her body. She ripped the fire from the demon, taking from him everything that made him solid, and consumed his essence, though she had no idea exactly what she was doing.

It screamed like an injured animal and tore away from her, diminished but still terrifying. Mira felt hollow. The consuming stopped, but not the burning. _I am fire,_ she thought. But that was impossible. She was a girl.

 _I'm burning alive._

She wasn't.

"Cursed creature," the demon hissed. Mira prepared for another attack. It only slipped into the smoke where it merged and disappeared.

Mira blinked into the space the demon had been and felt the coolness leave her body. It was promptly replaced by heat and tears and pain as she breathed smoke into her lungs. She coughed and gasped.

 _Rise._

Her legs, her arms. Everything was rubber. She stood anyway, driven by fear, and staggered out into the hallway on ruined feet. She found Elfman crouched on the floor. He looked at her with one wild blue eye. His face was stained with soot and blood. His bear was still clutched to his chest, though its fur was matted and damp, soaked through with the red that dripped from his fingers.

"Mira!"

Mira lurched to his side and grabbed him roughly by the arm, pulling him to his feet. He slumped against her, small arms wrapping up and around her neck.

 _I can't._ She could hardly carry herself.

She did, tightening her arms around his middle. Together, they rocked through the smoke and flames to Lisanna's room. Elfman alternated between coughing and sobbing.

The door was closed. She dared to touch the handle. More of her skin was left behind on the hot brass. She pushed through the pain and dug her shoulder into the door. When it popped open, flames burst into the room chased by thick dark smoke. The house squealed.

"Lisanna?" Mira called as loudly as she could. "Lisanna, where are you?"

There was no answer.

Mira searched through the gloom. Something stood out to her. The door to the closet was closed. Lisanna never closed it when she slept. She was always afraid of the monsters that hid inside.

"Lisanna!" Mira's voice cracked. Elfman in tow, she hurried as fast as she could to the closet and opened the door with blistered and tight hands. Lisanna tumbled out, face pale and hair blackened with smoke, eyes closed. There was no time to check to see if she was still breathing. Mira released Elfman's arm and grabbed Lisanna around the ribs. Grunting under dead weight, she hoisted her sister to her hip, bowing. Something cracked in the hallway and the ceiling collapsed just beyond the room.

Barely flinching, she staggered to Lisanna's window. Elfman was at her elbow. The glass was hot beneath her hands. And swollen. The frame shrieked and got stuck when she pushed it up. The opening was too small for anyone to crawl out of. Mira held in a frustrated cry and crouched so she could jam her shoulder into the opening. Then she stood, using all of her strength to force it higher.

It worked. Cold spring air gushed into the stifling room, feeding the hungry fire all the more. It was into the room now.

Mira stepped back. "Go, Elfman, and take Lisanna from me!"

He didn't hesitate, throwing himself out of the window. They were so close to the ground that when the boy hit, he was back up on his feet in seconds. Mira encouraged him silently not to panic and run. She needn't worry. He turned, reaching through the window again to take Lisanna's limp form from her. Lisanna's head lolled lifelessly.

Elfman staggered back, too small to carry her comfortably.

"Come on, Mira!" Elfman cried, his tears mixing with the bright, bright blood that marred his face. One eye was swollen closed. Mira hoped he wouldn't lose it. She placed one foot over the sill, stretching with ruined toes, searching for the ground.

The building collapsed before she made it all the way out. Mira knew nothing but agony.

* * *

 **Important** A/N, please read:

Yes. This is a re-write.

It will be loosely based on canon. But **it will be mostly AU**.

The most important differences will be ages, and the creation of Raven Tail before the GMG arc.

Mira will be 13 when we first start this. When we end, she will be 19. It will be a journey. Elfman, we'll say, is 8, which makes Lisanna 7. Yes, I _know_ this isn't actually how it is. Yes. I _know_ you hate it. Yes. I _am_ sorry, but this is how she goes.

Laxus' age will _also_ be altered. He will be two years older than Mira, which makes him fifteen when we begin. I didn't enjoy the five-year difference. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I were writing about them at an older age, but seeing as how we're dealing with teenagers I didn't like the idea of her flirting with an 18-year-old when she was 13.

I hope you can make it past my changes and continue to read this.

I apologize to anyone that was reading it when I took it down. I just didn't realize how _bad_ it was, and how _good_ it could be.


	2. Chapter 2

Mira was bigger than Elfman, though there was no meat anywhere on her body. She was all legs and arms and hair, so when Elfman dropped Lisanna to the ground and rushed to his older sister's side, it wasn't exactly an easy thing for him to drag her out of the burning rubble, but it wasn't as difficult as it should have been, either.

Mira didn't wake as he yanked her from the wreckage, though her leg, deeply scratched and bruised, must have pained. Nor did she wake when he dragged her away from their smouldering family home, her shoulders bouncing over the rocks and twigs that littered the ground. He dropped her beside Lisanna rather roughly, too exhausted to be gentle. She didn't budge then, either, and he had to wonder if she'd ever open her eyes again. Lisanna was just as ashen, just as silent and still.

Fear took hold of Elfman, the kind that wrought helplessness and inaction. Dropping to their sides, he curled into Mira's bony frame and let the tears come. His right eye burned, burned, burned, the skin surrounding it hot and swollen. With the last bit of his courage he opened his eye and could see nothing but red from it, even though he looked up at the black midnight sky.

He clutched Mr. Bee tightly to his chest, taking comfort from the bear's familiar weight. He thought to smell it, too. It just smelled like smoke and blood. Distraught, he began to wail. Every inch of his face was stiff and hot, cut and burned. When he could no longer find the strength to cry, he burrowed his cheek into Mirajane's bony shoulder. That was how Sandman found him and carted him into sleep.

* * *

Rough hands patting her down woke Mira from her comatose state. She opened her eyes to a cornflower sky and took a deep breath. It was a mistake. Her lungs rejected the oxygen after all the abuse they'd received. Her chest racked out a cough, long and violent. It wouldn't ease. Her body convulsed. Her stomach clenched. There was barely enough time to prop herself up on her side before she vomited. It was nothing but bile.

"Easy, child." The words were said kindly, but it was hard to dismiss the note of fear and distrust they were delivered with.

Mira retched again, unable to help it. It wasn't just the aching in her lungs, it was the pain radiating all over her body. She'd never been so hurt in her life. Her feet. Her legs. Her hands.

Cool fingers rested on her brow. Something warm and soothing eased through her body. Her lungs stopped trying to convulse, her stomach ceased its upwards climb. She gulped air, once, twice, and held it.

"Good girl. Lie back."

Mira did as she was told. The plumpest woman she'd ever seen slipped into her field of view. A head of crowning golden curls, though large and buoyant like her body, seemed not enough to balance out her face, given her size. Her eyes were blue with flecks of silver. It gave her a hardened edge that was hidden beneath doughy cheeks that looked like they _should_ be good for smiling. She had no laugh marks, though she was of an age to bear them.

Mira could only conclude she was not truly a kind woman, even if it was a face she wore well.

In the woman's free hand was a cold compress and a bottle of water. Awkwardly, she lowered her weight onto her haunches and handed Mira the bottle. Mira took it and drank. It cleared her mouth of the taste of bile for only a moment. As soon as she spat out the water it came right back. It was in her burning sinuses. The next mouthful she took she swallowed. The woman watched until Mira was done with the bottle, then she pressed the water-soaked cloth against the back of Mira's neck. The sensation was immediately cooling. Mira breathed deeper still. Her lungs felt tight and sore, her mouth filmed with a thick, smoky plaque, but the misery was definitely fading.

"How are you feeling, dear?"

"Still sort of sick," Mira admitted in a rasping voice that sounded nothing like her own.

"Here... we'll try again." The woman pressed four cool fingers to Mira's temples. More soothing warmth trickled through her body. Her nausea fully stepped aside and her mind cleared.

"You're a mage," the young girl breathed.

"That's right. A healer. I'm with the church."

Mira swallowed; it wasn't agony this time. "Where are Elfman and Lisanna?"

"They're being cared for."

"Lisanna's okay?" It was too easy to close her eyes and see her sister's limp form crumpling out of her closet.

"The girl is fine."

The way she said it led Mira to believe that there was something more to come. "Elfman?"

"Your brother..." Her puce coloured lips pursed in consideration.

"What? He what?" Suddenly she wasn't lethargic, she was bursting with adrenaline. " _What_?"

"We're concerned with his eye," she said, placating. "That's all. His life isn't in danger."

"What's wrong with his eye?" Flashes returned to Mira. Red, red blood. Elfman screaming while he bled onto Mr. Bee's smoke-dinged fur. She imagined a world where her brother was blind in one eye. "He can't see?"

"We're not sure yet. He's in a patch to help promote the healing I've already done. I fear regardless of what I do, he'll always have a terrible scar, though."

Mira sagged with relief and let out a nervous laugh. The woman looked at her with something like disgust, as though she couldn't fathom why Mira might be laughing at such a time. Mira didn't care. She was relieved; she would rather a scarred brother than no brother at all. "Where are they?"

"Back at the church," said a new voice.

Mira strained to see around the woman's body and caught sight of a man in priest's wear. His cheeks were hollow, sunken with age, his hair cotton on top, wheat rye on the sides. He was as thin as the woman was fat. Her family never had much to do with the church in town, but she knew the priest by name. Father Creighton. He was a kind man, generous to those in need. Her father had hated him. Mira never understood why.

"We hurried them away after we tended to their immediate needs. We weren't sure if you were going to respond to Yunica's healing or not and we didn't want to expose them to such a… traumatic event if you didn't awaken. Yunica is quite talented, though. A real boon to the church, I do say. She brought you back from a very steep ledge."

Mira met his eyes and knew she'd stared death in the face. "My mother and father?"

The priest looked sad. "Both Rikkan and Onya are dead."

Mira felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She could vomit again.

"There is time for that talk later. How are you feeling now?" Yunica asked. Her chubby cheeks were rosy.

 _Wet_. Mira realized she was crying. She swiped away a stray tear with a blistered and ruined hand and looked away. Her family's home smouldered behind Yunica, nothing but ashes now.

"Don't pay that any mind, now," Yunica said in a voice that was syrupy on command. "Answer me. Are you in pain?"

"My feet and my back," Mira said. "And my legs." Her hands made the list, too, though that pain took a backseat when compared to everything else.

"We might be able to do something for that," the healer said and touched Mira's shoulder with round but gentle fingers. Magic oozed from her body. As she worked she said, "I hope you don't scar, you're far too pretty for that." As if something that superficial would make Mira feel better. It didn't.

The pain ebbed.

"I'm going to put you to sleep, child. Don't fight it. We'll take care of you from here on out."

"But—" But she didn't want to go to sleep. In the recesses of her mind she felt dark dreams waiting for her. Nightmares that felt like they had enough leg to run for hours. It was too late to fight; dream was calling her. Her eyes slipped closed.

"Can you take them in, Yunica?" That was the priest, though his voice sounded very far away to Mira's ears.

"You know I'd like to, Father Creighton, but I barely have bread to feed myself and Hyda."

"The church will help wherever we can. They're orphans now. They have nowhere to go and will have to depend upon our kindness."

"Yes, but…" she trailed off. When she spoke again, her voice was even quieter. "You heard what the boy said. She _was_ fire, Father. It could be she's possessed by a demon—"

"Nonsense. She caught fire, she didn't become it."

"He was explicit—"

"Everyone was scared," the priest bit out. "She's just a lost girl that needs someone to mind her. Will you or will you not help them?"

Yunica was silent, considering. Finally, she said, "Yes, Father, of course."

Unwelcomed tears pricked at Mira's eyes and slipped through her lashes to pool just under her jaw. _Demon._ She knew what lurked in those flames. _And I touched it._ She touched it and didn't burn up.

She couldn't decide what that meant. Sleep grabbed her in an iron tight fist.

* * *

His shoes were dirty, dusted by the road. Sitting in a room that could only be described as a lab, clinically clean and flawlessly white, Laxus studied them carefully, learning the intricate stitch pattern. Not because it was particularly interesting, but because it was easier to stare at his feet than to meet his father's dissatisfied glower.

"Speak up, boy," Ivan Dreyar commanded. The same pronoun had been given to him by his grandfather, yet while the names were the same, one was spoken with endearment. The other disdain.

Laxus found his voice. "Gramps said it was dangerous."

Ivan crouched so they were face-to-face. His father carried his hardness in his slate grey eyes, in the creases of his mouth. He was mean and barely tried to hide it under a veil of good intent.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, have you ever heard that before?"

It was one of his father's favorite sayings. Laxus blinked at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Silence usually spared him from some form of abuse.

"Maybe it's dangerous, but you'll die if we do nothing, Laxus. Do you understand? Your body is rejecting life. I'll be burying my only son. Will you make your father go through that?"

He wouldn't, Ivan knew that. Laxus wanted to be a good son.

"No, sir." It was a response that was bred-in-the-bone.

Ivan clapped him on the back. "I know you're worried about what that old fool will think, and I know you're scared. It's natural."

"He said—"

"I know what he said," Ivan interjected. "I'm a selfish lunatic, it cannot be done. The lacrima won't help you, it'll kill you. Right?"

"Yes," Laxus agreed. That, and more.

"Do you trust your father?"

There were a lot of times honesty worked in his favour. This was not one of those.

"Yes, or no, Laxus?" Ivan gripped his shoulder tightly and searched his eyes.

Laxus lied. "Yes." Sometimes the old man scared him. Sometimes he'd get possessed by an idea, focused and singular. Nothing else seemed to matter then, except for his goal. This was one of those times.

"Take off your shirt and lay back, then. We'll put this lacrima in its rightful place." He held up the small, clear crystal. It caught the light and amplified it many times over. Laxus guessed he was supposed to look at it and feel relief—it was to be his savior, after all. He only felt fear. He knew better then to voice it, though, last time he had, he'd pissed blood for a week.

* * *

While Mira and Lisanna recovered in their beds, Elfman stood beside a washbasin with Miss Yunica's sister, Hyda.

She was the same as Yunica in every way, except her hair wasn't a golden crown, it was fiery, like angel blades, so bright it was nearly clear in the right light. He watched with his one good eye as she dunked Mr. Bee into soapy water. Immediately it stained iron red, then soot black. Undeterred, she used her sausage-like hands to work Mr. Bee's fur into a foaming lather, then submerged him again. She repeated this process twice, then changed the water and mimicked her actions. Each time the bear came out looking a little cleaner. By the time she was through her hands were crimson and chapped and the water was once again a dark rusty red.

"What do you think happened to mom and dad?" Elfman asked Hyda as she pulled Mr. Bee from the water and wrung him dry, squeezing his fraying limbs between her hands until a stream of cloudy water ran from its brown fur.

"Sweetie, Father Creighton told you, they're with God now," she said carefully.

Elfman didn't refute her claim, but he didn't accept it, either. Acknowledging that as truth meant that mom and dad were well and truly gone, and his 8-year-old brain wasn't ready for that, not yet. It had only been a day.

"I know it's a tough thing, especially for such a little boy, but you're going to have to be strong and take care of your sisters. You'll be the only man left in your family, and I just know that your parents would want you to protect them. Am I right?" Hyda asked not unkindly.

Elfman swallowed. Mira didn't ever need protecting from anything; she was always fierce and strong and brave; braver than he was. "But..."

"But nothing. You have to be strong, Elfman," Hyda said. She was kinder than her sister, gentler, too. She cupped his chin and lifted his face so he could look at her properly. "When you get a little bigger, you'll protect them from all manner of things, as is your job. I have faith that you'll be able to do it."

He twisted his hands together. He didn't know _how_ to take care of Lisanna and Mira.

Hyda saw the way his face warped in intense concentration and worry. She sighed. "Don't worry about it now, sweet pea. Those are troubles for another day. For now, the only thing you need concern yourself with is sleep. Yunica and I will take care of you." She drew Elfman into her breast and kissed the top of his soft white hair.

Elfman let himself be pulled in tightly, needing the comfort. Hyda's words didn't slide off his shoulders, not in the way she had meant them to. They percolated into his mind and stuck there. He needed to protect Lisanna and Mira. He'd do anything to grow bigger and stronger so he could beat back anything that ever tried to hurt his family again.

"Miss Hyda?" he asked as she finished drying Mr. Bee.

"Yes, sweet boy?"

"Are all demons bad?"

She paled. "This again? Father Creighton already told you, you didn't see what you thought you saw."

"Just, yes or no?"

She bit her lip. "Yes, Elfman. They're all bad to the core. Now, you shouldn't speak of such things. You'll call the beasts to our stoop."

"But Mira—"

"Not another word, Elfman. Not another word from you on the matter. I won't have it." She stuffed Mr. Bee roughly into his hands. The bear was still damp and smelled a bit like smoke but he wasn't soggy with blood any longer.

Elfman felt tears rising to his eyes. His bad one stung behind the bandage Yunica had placed around it to keep it closed.

Hyda turned her back on the boy and waddled back into the house.

* * *

Mira awoke with her siblings tucked tightly into either side. Both of them were blissfully unmindful of her wounds, Lisanna crushing her cheek into her shoulder and Elfman with his leg tossed carelessly across hers. Both places ached still, bruised and battered even after Yunica's healing. She'd need more sessions even though everything was responding well to the treatments.

Mira tucked her chin to her chest to better see everything she had left in the world. Lisanna sucked on her thumb, something she hadn't done in years, and Elfman clutched Mr. Bee like he was holding desperately to a fading lifeline.

Suddenly, being crushed didn't seem so bad. Except, Mira's stomach rumbled painfully and her bladder was so full it was uncomfortable just to lie there. She sighed and wriggled as carefully as she could from their arms. Neither roused. Free, she slid from the soft bed. Two other mattresses lined the room but her brother and sister seemed totally uninterested in those. Mira smiled tightly at the pair, then tiptoed from the room.

Beyond her bedroom was a dark hall dotted with family portraits and doors. She wandered, checking rooms randomly. A bedroom, a closet, a sewing room.

She kept going until she found a plump golden lady sitting at a rustic kitchen table sewing something in needle point. Before she could open her mouth to ask for a washroom, Yunica dropped her work and fixed Mira with a piercing gaze.

"You saw it, didn't you?"

Mira crossed her legs painfully, the urge to pee not dissipating even in the face of Yunica's odd question. "Pardon?"

"What did the demon say to you, child?" Her voice was cutting.

Mira's stomach fell away. "What?"

"Don't play coy. I know it was a demon that burned up your home, no matter what Father says. It must have spoken. What did it say to you?"

Mira looked at her blankly.

"The demon that burned down your house, silly girl. The one that killed your parents, the one that is going to come after you. Did. It. Say. Anything?" she said the words slowly as though that would help.

Mira swallowed tightly.

"Hyda and I have opened our home to you three knowing full well what we could be bringing down upon our shoulders. Demons never forget and I suspect the vendetta against your family was personal. You best speak now, for everyone's safety."

 _A vendetta_? But why? Her mother took care of the children and her father was a toy maker. She couldn't imagine a world where her parents angered demons. "Please—"

"He'll be back again, child. Speak."

Mira imagined the flame creature in this quiet place, chewing through the musty halls, burning everything to ash looking for Lisanna and Elfman. This time they didn't get to leave with their lives. _Speak_. "He said we'd pay for the sins of our father."

Yunica looked triumphant, her suspicions confirmed. "What else was said?"

"Nothing."

Yunica gave her a knowing, no-nonsense look. "Think of your siblings, Mirajane. Tell me."

Lisanna. And Elfman. She felt her resolve buckle. "He said that I was cursed, too." The words spilled out in a rush, as if saying them quickly would make them less impactful. It didn't. _Am I cursed?_ Fire killed, the logic was simple. Unless you were a stringy 13-year-old girl with everything to lose. Then you got off with only a few burns to show for it. Somehow. It didn't make sense.

"I _knew_ you were cursed," Yunica said in a shaking, accusatory voice. "I _told_ Father Creighton that's why you didn't die in that fire. I knew it even before your brother swore he saw you eaten up with flame."

Tears pressed at the backs of Mira's eyes and spilled out over her dark lashes. She wiped them away fiercely. She didn't think Elfman had seen that. "Help me."

Yunica said, "The only thing you can do is pray, Mirajane. Pray for your soul, for the lives you've taken."

"Lives?" Mira repeated numbly.

Yunica considered her before answering, leaning back in her chair and crossing her meaty arms before her wide chest. "It would be an easy thing for a girl to set her house on fire, wouldn't it? For a girl possessed to organize her parent's deaths and say it was a demon different than she?"

"Why would you say that?" Mira's ears roared. "I loved them."

Miss Yunica was without shame. "I didn't want to think it, Mirajane, but I had to consider the possibility when I invited strangers into my home."

"If you think I'm a murderer, then why are we still here?" Mira felt sick.

"Kick you out and be looked down upon by my church? I think not. No, you'll stay here until Father Creighton sees what a monster you are. Perhaps he can expel your demon." Her eyes narrowed further. "If you try any fire tricks with me I will crush you. I know a great many spells that will grind your heart to a dead stop." To prove her point, Yunica reached out a swollen and pale hand. Mira felt her fast-beating heart slow. Her breath came in short gulps, her muscles got lethargic. Black spots played in front of her eyes in no time. She swayed drunkenly.

With what little breath she had available to her, Mira choked, "Stop it."

Yunica kept on until Mira doubled over, legs giving out beneath her. She slid to the cold ground, bladder still excruciatingly full. She wondered if she was going to piss right there on Yunica's floor. If the woman kept going she surely would.

Yunica held on.

Tears leaked out of Mira's eyes. Between her legs got damp. She did what she could to retain some dignity, clenching every muscle hard. _Do something._ But what could she do? Tight pain rocked from one side of her chest to the next. "Please!" She clutched her dying heart and sobbed. She felt sick again, her skin too hot, her mind too frantic. She was going to die and Lisanna and Elfman were going to grow up with no one to take care of them.

Yunica pressed on for another unbearable second then released the spell and huffed. "Young girls. You're all so dramatic. I was merely demonstrating my power; you were in no real danger."

Mira's vision swam.

"Get out of here, before you wet yourself. The bathroom is the third door on the right," Yunica said coldly.

Mira managed an uneven breath. Then another. When she could, she clutched weakly at the counter at her back. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of a drawer and she hauled herself unsteadily to her feet. The kitchen tilted threateningly, bile rose in her throat. She swallowed tightly and took in as deep a breath as she could manage.

"Did you not hear me? Get out."

Mira took an unsteady step forward. When her legs didn't give out on her she dared to release her grasp on the drawer.

"You can go faster than that," Yunica spat. "I didn't do you any serious harm."

Mira didn't meet her eyes. She tilted her face to the ground and staggered from the room without complaint because she really was going to pee her pants. Her body was fighting against her, put through all the stress of the night before and now the strain that Yunica had dragged her through.

"And Mira," Yunica called.

Mira stopped, her fingers splayed upon the dark wood of the bathroom door. She made herself say, "Yes, Miss Yunica?"

"Remember what I said. It would take me only a thought. Don't get any funny ideas at night, either. I'm a very light sleeper."

Mira couldn't even bring herself to respond. She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. Sitting on the stout toilet, she made the mistake of allowing a chest-wracking sob to bubble up and over her lips. Too late she realized she had opened a flood gate. She cried for her parents, for Lisanna and Elfman, and for herself because, though she wanted to deny it, she felt a strange darkness inside her skin. It pulsed and fed off of her terror, feeling like a permanent resident in her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

_'You must not say a word, Laxus. Especially if the surgery goes well, be silent, okay?'_

 _'Yeah, dad.'_

 _'Promise me.'_

 _'I promise.'_

 _'Your grandfather won't understand.'_

He was in and out of consciousness, reliving moments of his last conversation when the voices came to him. Laxus was with it enough to recognize his grandfather's irate tenor, but not coherent enough to figure out what exactly was transpiring. That being said, the more Makarov spoke, the more Laxus became cognisant of his surroundings. There were stiff sheets beneath his fingers. The smell of antiseptic was in the air, and there was a man he didn't recognize working over him, every one of his movements hurried. Peering through bleary eyes, Laxus examined him. Loose skin around his jawline hung in deep jowls, his head was bald and glistening in the overhead light, and the area around his cobalt coloured eyes was cracked with many age lines. For all of the tells, this man looked timeless. Otherworldly. Maybe it was just the drugs.

Something smashed out in the main room. Makarov's voice reached new heights. The wrinkled man looked back down at Laxus and placed his palm over Laxus' heart. "Breathe steady, boy, because this is going to be one hell of a ride." With each word, his teeth revealed themselves. Long and filed into sharp points. Laxus would have recoiled if he could have moved his body. As it was, he stared in dumb fascination while the man (beast?) pushed his callused and clammy hand against his bare chest. Magic roared into his body. He could feel his chest filling up. The lacrima… it was inside, and it was working. It gathered his magic and condensed it, making it feel strong in a way it never had before. Laxus' chest rose and fell at an accelerated rate, fear and excitement combatting for position. Lightning sparked his palms, mostly without his permission.

"Careful, now. Easy, easy," the man-beast said. Another something shattered in Raven Tail's mess hall.

Laxus breathed through his teeth in short puffs. "It hurts."

"Yes."

His brow was slicked in sweat. Suddenly, he was unbearably uncomfortable. "We have to stop."

"We cannot. It has to be pushed all the way, Laxus, near to breaking, and then the lacrima can start doing what it's supposed to. More magic."

Laxus didn't know his name. "Please." His voice was the hoarsest thing he'd ever heard. His chest was all shooting pain. Bowing his spine didn't help anything. "My—" He felt ill, like he'd swallowed lead. He grunted, unable to help it. "Stop."

Fingers dug into his chest; blood welled. "If I stop, you die."

The words were delivered in such a way that Laxus believed him. He did his best to be silent after that, though it felt like if he continued he'd die, too. The man pressed on, looking more and more like a creature with every passing second. The pain reached a point where Laxus couldn't help it any more. Turning on his side as well as he could, he threw up that morning's waffles, getting the sick mostly on himself and some on the beast's shoes, as well. The pain continued. He retched again and began to shake violently, unable to contain it. His eyes filled with tears; it was like his skin was being torn apart, each nerve ending on fire. Lightning danced around his body joyously. The beast that egged it on was unaffected, standing in the epicenter of a small storm without flinching.

Black spots filled Laxus' vision. The pain doubled. _I can't_. "Stop. Stop it." _I can't_. It felt like his heart was going to explode. "You—" The power reached the highest of highs, encouraging him to scream himself hoarse, then it abruptly died, the lightning show fizzling out weakly, leaving him feeling hollow. His chest was burning. " _Gods_." He tasted blood. Tears ran freely down his face. It didn't matter that he didn't want to cry.

The beast bared its teeth in a grin. "Buck up. You survived, not like the last one. Things are going pretty good for you."

 _Not like the last…?_ Laxus couldn't ask what he meant because the man was on the move, grabbing a burlap bag from the floor and slinging it over his wide but thin shoulders.

"Time's up. You should get that stitched." He tapped his chest. Laxus looked down, the drugs fading more when he saw the long, narrow gash etched in his skin. Beneath it was his lacrima, obscured by all the blood.

The man was gone before Laxus could ask anything, dismissing himself through the door at the back of the room. Seconds after that, the door leading in from the guild burst open and Makarov Dreyar came in. His cheek was swollen, purple, and his knuckles bore the signs of a fight.

His face turned white when he saw Laxus. "Hell."

Laxus struggled to sit up, his body damp in blood and sweat and sickness. Being vertical just made him bleed more. "Gramps—"

Makarov came in, tearing the shirt off his body so he could clog the gash. "Are you alright?"

Laxus' father appeared in the doorway. His mouth was stained as red as a candied apple. He'd been struck. Laxus couldn't recall any other time when his father had been challenged like that. He looked at his grandfather and didn't know how he felt about it.

"Answer me, boy." Makarov's eyes were on the vomit, the sweat, the blood. His face got whiter with every passing second.

"I'm—alright."

Makarov didn't look absolutely convinced, but he was obviously eager enough to accept that. "Get up. We're leaving."

It took Laxus a moment to process that. "Leaving?"

"You're coming back to Fairy Tail."

Laxus looked at his father's sour expression. "Dad—"

"We're not asking him for permission," Makarov said in a threatening voice. "Get up. Leave your things."

Laxus was still rooted in place.

"It's alright, Laxus. If your foolish grandfather wants to take you home and pretend that you're not my son, that's fine. You and I will know the truth." Ivan looked to his father. "When he starts feeling sickly again, make sure to bring him home, so that his true father may do what's necessary to take care of him."

Makarov looked like he wanted to hit Ivan again. He did not. "Up, boy, if you're able."

Laxus' legs were as soggy as wet bread. He failed to stand unassisted, so Makarov used his magic, making himself both larger and stronger, and grabbed the tall, yet skinny boy beneath the arms. He muscled him out without much issue. Raven Tail's guild members gawked shamelessly. Laxus didn't meet any of their eyes, embarrassed.

* * *

Though only a day had gone past, it seemed to Lisanna that the only thing she dreamed about any more was fire. Every time she closed her eyes, it licked at her toes, her finger, her hair. She cried until she cried herself awake. So far, it was Mira that woke and draped her burned and bandaged arm around her body and whispered that it was alright, except this time, wasn't Mira that roused her from her nightmare, the hands around her shoulders were smaller.

Opening her eyes, Elfman's eye patch was the first thing she saw. She found his good eye next, studying her. Without a word passed between them, he offered her his washed but still stained bear. She took Mr. Bee and tucked him beneath her chin gratefully, missing her own stuffed animal, Miss Flip, a pink and purple fish that had, until the fire stole her from the world, lived at the end of her bed. Elfman pulled her close. Lisanna curled against him and closed her eyes again. Even with the addition of Mr. Bee, it made no difference. Sleep wouldn't come. Her eyelids came open again. It was light outside, the sun streaming through windows that had been meticulously cleaned.

She sighed.

"Lisanna?" Elfman hedged. His voice was a hoarse whisper, but he might as well have been yelling. Lisanna jumped, frightened by the sudden sound.

She recovered. "What?" Her voice was equally quiet.

Elfman asked, "Do you think Mira's a demon?" He looked guilty for even considering it.

Lisanna blinked wide blue eyes for a long moment as she processed what he said. "Why would you ask that?"

Elfman shrugged. "You heard what Miss Yunica said. And the fire..."

Lisanna shook her head. "Father Creighton says she's not. He would know."

Would he? He didn't see the way Mira's eyes went dead and black and cold, the way her skin had liquefied into molten flesh.

Seeing his hesitance, Lisanna maintained, "Mira's not a demon, Elfman. I can't believe you'd even say that. She saved us. She got hurt because of us."

Elfman picked at his thumbnail, too ashamed to meet her eye. "I don't think she's a bad demon, but what if..." He trailed off, thinking of all the times Mira would chase him around threateningly when he'd annoy her, when she'd grab him and stuff him under the water of the cold lake just to see if she could push him to the bottom, when she'd drop a cookie on the floor and give it to him under the guise of kindness. It was all stuff that seemed innocent enough, but when viewed in this new light…

Mira entered the room then, killing Elfman's thoughts. Her face was tear-red and swollen. Her hair was filthy, the usual moon-white locks covered in a dirty black film, still stained with smoke and soot.

"Mira." Lisanna's voice was laced with worry. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes flicked away. "I'm alright, Lisanna."

Elfman studied her, trying to see any demon inside. She only looked like his sister. The guilt tried to crush him. Mira was no demon—at least, not the kind of demon that hurt people she loved. He turned his eyes from his sister, studying instead the rusty radiator occupying the far corner of their dingy room. It looked like it hadn't worked in years, dust and spider leavings painting the surface brown.

Lisanna crawled from the bed and went to Mira's side. The older girl stiffened, aware of her damp underwear and the embarrassment she'd weather if Lisanna noticed. She either didn't or she didn't care, concerned only with tucking herself beneath her sister's arm. Mira returned the hug after a moment, fingers landing in Mr. Bee's fur. She lifted her gaze and met Elfman's eye. A smile tugged on her mouth, soft and small. It was that very human expression, Mira on the brink of tears, that helped Elfman solidified the fact that she wasn't a bad demon. When she held out her other arm he climbed from the bed and went to her. Her skin was warmer than usual, but she wasn't burning hot. He breathed her in. Fire, the tang of blood, sour like sweat. Under all that, she smelled like home.

A dark shadow filled the doorway. "It smells in this room."

Mira held Elfman and Lisanna tighter, gathering patience before she turned and faced Miss Yunica.

Without waiting for a reply, the woman said, "There's soap in the bathroom, and towels, and a pond out front. Use it to get cleaned up so you're not wasting the hot water. Then you can clean the sheets and freshen up this room."

Mira wanted to give her a few choice words she'd heard her father use when he was particularly mad. She didn't. "Yes."

Miss Yunica said, "I'm going to the church to look for clothes for you lot. Hyda will be around should you need anything."

As graciously as she could manage, Mira made herself say, "Thank you."

* * *

Three days passed in a tense and strained routine. Miss Yunica would give Mira a healing treatment—her burns were mending rather nicely, she'd barely scar—and then she'd make them breakfast and encourage them to make their beds—or bed, really, as they were all still piling into Mira's. Then they would go out into the forest behind the cottage and try to forget their misery. Lisanna and Elfman would play tag—Mira forbade hide and go seek, unable to fathom letting them leave her sight—and when they got sick of tag they'd play pretend. The most miserable part was when Lisanna wanted to pretend that Elfman and Mira were mom and dad. Mira had put an end to the game, feeling sick to her stomach.

On the third day of their tenuous stay, Mira and Miss Yunica fell into a raging argument about the way Mira ate with her hands. "Like a savage" Miss Yunica said. Despite Hyda's insistence that Yunica leave it be, the altercation ended with swears on Mira's tongue and her face burning from a sharp slap. She stomped off to be alone while the plump woman gathered her scarf and trekked to the church.

In her bedroom, Mira gnawed on her fingernails until they were raw. She thought of a million different ways she could have insulted Yunica, and a million different ways she could have apologized, if it meant that they wouldn't be kicked out.

A soft knock on the door made her stiffen. "Go away."

It only opened, revealing Hyda. The woman came to the bed and lowered herself on the mattress, copper locks bouncing around her double chin. The bed sagged and groaned beneath her weight. She folded her blue-tipped fingers together and closed her eyes, as if praying. Or gathering fortitude. She said, eyes still closed, "Mira, child, you must not provoke her."

Mira scowled. "I was only eating."

"Yes, my dear. I know. Please forgive her. My sister is frightened."

Mira scoffed. "Of a thirteen-year-old girl?"

"Of the beast she thinks you can become," Hyda corrected. Mira fell silent. It scared her, too.

"You're supposed to be getting clothes today, isn't that nice?" Hyda said, trying to change the conversation. "I'm sure that's why Yunica went out, to go get them from the church."

Skeptical, Mira looked down at her ratty hand-me-downs. She wore Hyda's shirts like a dress, cinched together at the middle with a piece of twine. Lisanna and even Elfman followed suit, though most of the shirts were paisley in one way or another. He wore them without much complaint, though she could see that it made him uncomfortable.

"Thank you."

Hyda smiled. "Why don't you three go for a swim? I'll clean up the kitchen."

"Yunica told me to clean up after dinner," Mira pointed out.

"Yes, she did. This is my gift to you. Go play like children are supposed to."

Mira's heart ached. "Thank you." She couldn't see how two women who grew up together could be so different. Not one to deny kindness when it was given to her, she rose and went to gather Elfman and Lisanna.

* * *

The water was bitterly cold. Mira shivered as she dunked in up to her eyes. Lisanna and Elfman splashed nosily. Sunlight, burning orange like fire, filtered through the trees as the sun inched towards its bed. Everything was ablaze in that glow. Mira looked away from it, thinking only of cinders.

Steps away, Elfman unwittingly started a war, accidently splashing water in Lisanna's face. The girl's squeal was loud and indignant. The world dissolved into thrashing and arcs of icy water and wild, hectic giggles. To get away, Mira ducked her head under the water and listened to the numbed sounds of laughter. She wanted to hold onto that sound, wished she could bottle it and keep it forever so when, in the coming months, things got hard, she could open it up and listen to it whenever she wanted. She smiled at the thought.

The laughter stopped abruptly and the splashing died away. Heart in her throat, Mira rose quickly to the surface and came face to face with Father Creighton. At the edge of the pond, his booted feet kissed the place where the sand met the grass. Mira barely recognized the priest, his face had gone gaunt and pale, his fingers looking too long. He studied the three siblings and turned his mouth to the side. In his hands were bundles of clothing.

"Where's Miss Yunica?" Elfman asked the priest by way of greeting.

"Busy at the church. I came to check on you three and to personally deliver these." The priest dropped the clothing unceremoniously on the ground. "I'll be waiting for you in the house. Come inside, we need to have a chat," he said, fixing Mira with a look.

Mira waited until the cottage door closed and the priest slipped out of sight. When the coast was clear, she grabbed the towel she had dropped on the bank and carefully wrapped it around herself. Elfman and Lisanna did the same, though they weren't as mindful with their modesty as Mira was. Her body was beginning to change, growing where it never had before. She supposed it was nothing to be embarrassed of, all women had breasts, after all, but they'd never been _hers_ before.

Lisanna and Elfman were already pawing through the dropped clothing. Mira joined them, taking a long yellow dress from the pile. She slunk away behind a bush tall enough to cover her but short enough that she could watch Lisanna and Elfman just in case they needed her. The pair dried themselves off and hurriedly got dressed right where they stood, Elfman in a pair of pants that fit him around the waist but nowhere else, and a shirt that dwarfed his skinny frame, Lisanna in a long blue dress that seemed to fit her well enough. Mira's own dress was too big on her, baggy in all the wrong places, but it would have to do.

She came out of the bush and assessed her siblings. "Wait for me by the picnic table."

Lisanna and Elfman both opened their mouths to protest but Mira shook her head. "Don't fight with me on this. Just… let me talk to him." That way she could figure out how to tell her siblings that they were kicked out. _If that's why he's here._ She couldn't think of another reason, though. That must have been it.

Elfman was the first to nod. Seeing this, Lisanna mimicked his movement.

"Good, now promise me you'll stay right there." Mira pointed beside the house to the old pockmarked picnic table that had seen one too many winters.

"Okay."

"Are we in trouble?" Lisanna asked.

Mira pinched her lips together. "Just go over there and wait for me to come out, okay?" Avoiding the question seemed better than lying.

"Come on, Lisanna." Elfman wrapped his arm around Lisanna's shoulders and guided her to the table. Together they sat, hip to hip. Mira took one last look at them, and then approached the cottage. Every step was taken in hesitance. She didn't _want_ to see what Father Creighton had to say. She didn't _want_ to have to leave because she had a stupid argument over eating with her stupid hands. Regardless if Miss Yunica was a terror, she was the only terror willing to take them in.

Heart heavy, Mira prepared a speech, an apology of sorts. There wasn't enough time to make it good before she was at the door. Taking a breath was supposed to help calm her. It didn't. She entered the house, unable to avoid the inevitable.

Father Creighton sat at Miss Yunica's kitchen table, stirring a disgusting amount of sugar into a cup full of a dark red liquid. He looked up from his drink, eyes red rimmed and mouth too wide. He looked even ghastlier in this dull light.

"Mirajane."

"Father," Mira greeted hesitantly.

"Sit down, girl." The priest took a large swallow of his drink then smacked his lips. His teeth were stained red.

Mira's stomach churned, though she couldn't say exactly why. Trying to act normally, she pulled out one of the time-worn chairs and lowered herself into it. "Where is Miss Hyda?"

"Busy," he replied shortly.

Mira cleared her throat. "Did Miss Yunica come to the church today to complain about me?"

"Yes."

She met the man's eyes. They didn't look kind today, but cold. She forewent her apology, deciding maybe another route was best. "We're not getting along very well. I know it's asking a lot, but is there anyone else that would be willing to take us in? Just for a little while."

Father Creighton just stared at her. Mira licked her lips nervously and looked away, unable to keep her eyes on his for long. She found a dark stain on the floor. It gleamed in a puddle of sunlight. Red. _Like blood,_ her mind whispered. She cleared her throat again. "I'll—I'll find a job and work really hard so we can get our own place to stay. I just need time." The puddle was growing, stretching out from behind the wall.

"Oh…" Father Creighton stirred his drink with his finger. The fluid clung to his skin, thick and dark and red. "I don't know if I think that will be much of a problem."

Mira met his eyes again. Her heart was pounding. She did her best to calm it, to convince herself that everything was _normal_. Every one of her instincts was on high alert, though. "Miss Yunica didn't want to kick us out?"

"No, dear, she did. She insisted upon it right up until I cut out her heart," Father Creighton said. "I'm not really interested in talking about her, though." He swirled a long finger over the uneven grain on the table, leaving behind a wet smear. "Did you know your father was a demon hunter?"

Mira blinked at the man for too long. "Pardon?" She didn't know which was more ludicrous, the fact that he'd just offhandedly told her that Yunica was dead, or that her father killed demons, creatures she didn't even believed existed until just days ago.

"Oh, yes. Rikan the Bright, Rikan the True, Rikan the Hunter. Rikan the Dead, because he never knew when enough was enough. Even when he was warned, and now he sleeps in a new bed beneath the daisies. That's justice, isn't it?"

Mira swallowed, her throat as narrow as a reed. "My father was a toy maker."

The priest got suddenly intense. "Toy maker? Is that what he told you? If I had my own skin I'd show you the cut he made over my heart. What a _liar_." As he spoke, revealing his stained teeth, Mira became suddenly sure that they were red with blood. "Never mind that, though," he continued. "We're here for a purpose." The priest stood. His eyes changed, becoming dead things.

Mira found her voice. "Miss Hyda!"

He looked to the red stain on the floor. "Dead."

Mira stood abruptly, chair falling to the ground.

"Don't run, Mirajane Strauss. Tani is longing to meet the little bitch that stole his fire. He'll have his fun and then you'll die." Reaching over the table, the demon swiped at her, fingers biting into her skin. Mira reeled. Her feet got tangled in the chair's legs. She fell hard enough to break the chair. Her shin bruised, her knee pinched. Mira cried out but wouldn't let pain cripple her. She was on her feet again and running while the beast at her back roared. Power filled the house and the floor beneath her feet started to rot. She went through, landing hard half in and half out of the hole. The house groaned. Scrambling like gravity meant nothing, Mira tore herself out of the trap. Her fingernails ripped, leaving huge gouges in the now-soft wood. The pain was distant. She got her feet beneath her and lunged for the exit.

"You'll never escape, so don't run, Mirajane." The demon was close. Too close. "Let me bring you back so I may be praised."

Mira was so panicked she nearly missed the intense feeling that began in her chest and spread throughout her whole body. _The fire is coming,_ she realized. And indeed, her heart got cold and her skin started to dance with heat and light.

 _No, no, no._ She tried to hold it in, not _wanting_ to be a demon. It didn't matter. The creature at her back swiped at her again, snatching her elbow between his bony hands and reeling her around. He didn't look much like the priest now, his skin loose and ill-fitting like he'd torn it off and sewed it back on. Mira sobbed, terrified, and threw her weight back. The beast lost its hold on her and she was free to scramble across the floor, leaving burning coals in her wake.

Keeping her eyes forward didn't stop her imagination, she imagined the demon baring his teeth and coming for her, moving inhumanly. She yipped, terrified. Seconds later, the drapes combusted, then the floor and the walls. Everything blazed bright.

The demon screamed. She chanced a look over her shoulder and saw it was on fire.

 _Move, move, move._ She did, but not before she watched a large chunk of skin slough off his face and plop to the floor. Beneath was a red mess. As terrified as she was, she prayed he'd burn up.

"Mira!" Elfman's voice cut through her panic. Mira twirled and saw her brother standing in the doorway, Lisanna at his side. She pitched towards them, cognizant of her skin all aflame. The house groaned. _Not again,_ Mira thought, but this time, nothing collapsed on her. Her feet met the outside grass, catching that afire as quickly as she could imagine.

Lisanna bawled as soon as she laid eyes on her and tottered back. She had nowhere to go, Elfman clutching her firmly. Seeing that was like ice water in Mira's veins. The fire surrounding her body fizzled out. Lisanna's bawling locked up. She just blinked at Mira in shock. Mira huffed in great gulps of smoke-saturated air and found Elfman's eyes. He looked scared, but not on the brink of terror like Lisanna was.

"We have to run, Elfman." The house blazed behind her, the heat pushing at her skin. Her new dress was ruined with soot. Distantly, she wondered if everything she ever wore now was going to be tainted so.

"Miss Hyda—"

"She's dead. The demons are back. We have to go." She grabbed Elfman's hand and started tugging him away, relying on him to drag Lisanna with them. She ground to a halt, seeing their audience. Church goers were lined up by the dozen. Mira thought they came to watch Miss Yunica's home burn, but their eyes were on her.

She didn't know where the first seed of hate came from, but someone whispered, " _She's a demon_."

"Demon," someone said louder.

Mira looked through the crowd and saw only hate-filled eyes.

"There she is! The one that set her house on fire and killed her parents. She's struck again! Yunica's home burns!"

Someone else said, "She killed Yunica and rotted the church. She's a demon!"

With each accusation, the volume grew.

"No," Mira said. "It wasn't me; there is a demon in there! It killed Miss Yunica and Miss Hyda—" A rock hurtled her way, striking her in the forearm. It hurt badly enough that Mira dropped Elfman's hand so she could cradle her wound.

"We _saw_ you emerge aflame!"

"No—"

"Your own brother said it! You're cursed!"

Mira refused to look at Elfman. "You don't understand, something is happening—"

"Demon!"

The word was but it spread like wildfire.

"Demon!"

"Demon!"

Another rock crashed into her, this one finding her shin. Mira bit her cheek hard. It didn't block out the pain.

"Kill her!" A rock pelted her in the thigh.

"Yeah! Kill the demon!"

Elfman moved in front of her, small arms spread wide. "Leave us alone!"

Mira grabbed at him blindly and pulled him so he was standing behind her once more. She didn't have to touch Lisanna, the girl was already moving, curling into her back.

"Get away from her, girl!" shouted a woman with thick glasses. "She'll burn you up, too."

"She's not a demon!" Lisanna screeched. There was no conviction in her voice. Mira's heart crushed.

"She's poisoned their minds!" another villager yelled.

"Kill her before she can trick anyone else!"

A volley of rocks descended upon Mira. Her arm shot up in an effort to protect her head. She turned, thinking to escape back the way they'd come. There were more people at her back, scurrying around to block off her exit. Voices rose in a roar of accusations and hateful words.

One voice stood out above the din. "What is the meaning of all this?"

The rocks slowed, then stopped.

Mira lowered her arm enough that she could find the speaker, one small and mustached man that stood tall, back to the burning house.

One of the townspeople spoke up. "She's a demon, and does not deserve to live! She destroyed our church, killed our people, and set blaze to their house. Gather a rock and join us in expelling her evil!"

"What utter nonsense," the newcomer replied dryly. "She's no demon you old fool, just a scared girl."

"She was on fire!" A rock smashed into Mira's toe. She grunted, unable to help herself, it hurt badly enough she thought it was broken.

The interrupter's eyes got dark. His hand enlarged to the size of a giant's. He swung without mercy, smashing the rock thrower to the ground. He splatted like a spider, all of the breath expelling from his lungs, and lay there, dazed.

"Anyone else wish to continue?" the man challenged.

No one stepped up.

"Good." The man faced Mira. "Come."

Mira felt stapled in place. "Come?"

"Unless you want to stay here to finish up your stoning?"

"Of course not," Mira returned.

He nodded as if that settled it and turned away. The crowd made an exit for him. "Let's go then, you brats, I'm tired and I'd like to get home."


	4. Chapter 4

The mustached man walked at a brisk pace despite his short stature. "Names, brats, so I know what to call you, other than brats."

Mira was still too shocked to do anything other than bristle. It was Lisanna that answered. "I'm Lisanna, this is my big brother, Elfman, and this is Mirajane, our sister."

He nodded. "You can call me Makarov."

They rounded a thick cedar bush, coming upon the cart path leading out of town. Their way was blocked by a blonde boy caught somewhere in the midst of puberty. He was tall enough that Mira had to look up to see into his slate grey eyes, but thin, not yet as broad through the shoulders as he would be in a couple of years.

"This is Laxus, my grandson," Makarov introduced. He pointed around the group and did some quick introductions. "Let's get moving before those heathens decide they can take an old wizard, huh?" He set off again. "Alright, boy?" he asked over his shoulder.

Laxus said, "Fine."

Mira wasn't sure if she believed him. His face was pale and he kept itching at his sternum, but she had her own aches to worry about, her baby toe paining her with every step.

"Listen, Mr. Makarov," Mira began. "Thank you for helping us out back there. Could you just point us in the direction of the nearest town—"

"You don't have some place to go?" Makarov cut in before Mira could get too far.

"Yes," Mira said at the same time Elfman said "No."

"Our parents are dead," Elfman spoke up despite Mira's dark look.

"Dead?" Makarov repeated.

"They burned, like Miss Yunica's house," Lisanna said.

Makarov looked Mira's way, questions on his tongue he didn't dare ask. Not yet. "What are your plans, then?"

Mira punished the inside of her cheek, wishing she had more of the answers. "I—I don't know. Go to the next town and try to find some work, I guess."

"You have no money, either," Makarov determined.

"We will," Mira said, neck flushing. "Just as soon as you tell me where the next town is."

A look came to his eye. "You don't have any other family?"

Lisanna answered again. "No."

Makarov got thoughtful. "Why don't you come to Fairy Tail?"

"Fairy Tail?"

"A wizard's guild," Makarov explained, "Of which I'm the third master."

"What would I do in a wizard's guild?" Mira asked immediately. "I'm not a mage, I don't know any magic."

"You could learn," Makarov countered. "We have a lot of members that would be willing to teach you. Or if that's of no interest to you, you could serve tables at our bar, or clean. I'll pay you for your time and give you a place to stay. No need to go wandering." He was looking at Elfman and Lisanna's young faces and Mira understood that it wasn't about her, not really.

She thought about turning him down, but in the end, she didn't have a better option. "What's it like?"

"Oh," Makarov mused. "It's full of good people. We're a civil bunch."

Laxus snorted but otherwise didn't challenge his grandfather's stance.

"Can we leave whenever we want if we don't like it?"

Makarov raised a bushy brow. "I would recommend against it, but I won't stop you, no. You're your own person."

Mira turned her options over in her head. Join a wizard guild and get work or travel around hunting for a job that may never come.

"Fine. We'll come with you to your guild." She only planned to stay for as long as it took to see what kind of place It was. If it was good, she'd beg Master Makarov to take Lisanna and Elfman in while she went off on her own, that way when whatever happened at Miss Yunica's happened again, Mira wouldn't be putting them in danger. She wouldn't have to hear Lisanna's weak and watery cry of, 'She's not a demon!' And she wouldn't have to learn that Elfman was suggesting that very thing when she wasn't listening.

"Excellent. We're not really big, but we have a girls' and boys' dormitory so you'll each have your own rooms—"

"I don't want to leave Mira," Elfman interjected.

Mira looked at her brother. He seemed scared but resolute.

"I don't want to, either," Lisanna said in a small voice.

"I see..." Makarov said, considering. "Am I to expect your stance is the same, Mirajane?"

Mira drew herself up and met Lisanna and Elfman's eyes respectively. It was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. "You should have your own room." It would be safer.

"Please, Mira," Elfman begged. He looked to the older boy and the man that had saved them. There was only a hint of hesitation as he said, "I didn't mean that stuff about you being a demon. I was just scared."

Mira felt like the wind was knocked from her lungs.

Lisanna's hand curled around hers. "Please, Mira. I don't want to be alone. What if the fire comes again?"

Hot tears pressed at Mira's eyes. "Lisanna-"

"Please!" Lisanna started to cry.

At the sight of those tears, Mira felt her resolve cave. "If they want to stay with me then yes."

Makarov's mustache puffed out. "The only room we have that's big enough to accommodate the three of you is the one above the guild, next to Laxus'."

"Sure," Mira agreed, not really caring one way or the other.

"Now that that's settled, come on, you all." He started heading north.

"Fairy Tail is this way, Gramps." It was the first words Laxus had bothered with. They were dripping both with irritation and something Mira couldn't name. Maybe some fear.

"They're hurt," Makarov said.

"I don't care, I don't want to go back there," Laxus groaned.

"Don't be foolish, it'll be fine," Makarov said positively. "Porlyusica is going to be glad to see us again."

"Who?" Mira asked.

"Porlyusica. An old friend. A healer of sorts. She'll put your wounds right."

Laxus rubbed his chest absently, his expression twisted. "More like she'll torture you until you beg for mercy, then berate you for it."

* * *

Mira got to know just what Laxus meant. Porlyusica was as mean as mean came, impatient, with rough hands and a no-nonsense mouth. Her eyes, like two ember pits, burned through her. Every time the woman met Mira's eyes, Mira thought Porlyusica was seeing way more than what she wanted her to. She imagined that she knew about the fire, and about the demon, and the burning Mira sometimes felt in her heart. The coldness that came after.

If she did know, she said nothing other than, "Lift your foot up, girl."

Mira did as she was told and received a splint for her toe. As she worked, Porlyusica took tally of all Mira's still ruined skin. Yunica hadn't finished her treatments yet.

"Burns," Mira answered her unasked question.

Porlyusica's mouth curled into a frown. She stood, walked to one end of her crowded cottage, and rummaged through an overfull hutch. She came back with a salve. "Apply this once every day. The scars will fade."

Mira took the cream and opened the lid. It smelled like lilac and turpentine. Her nose scrunched up, but she wouldn't complain.

The woman went back to work. Mira stared around the empty cottage, glad that only Makarov was inside to see all of her wounds.

"So your parents are dead," Makarov said.

"Killed," Mira replied. "By a demon a few days ago."

He hummed. Porlyusica didn't flinch, as if demons never scared her.

"Is there a reason why they were claiming you were a demon?"

Mira's skin lifted in goose bumps. "I didn't kill my parents." That was as close to a denial as she'd come, being as uncertain as she was about everything these days.

They fell into a silence that was only broken by Porlyusica's ministrations.

"Thank you, Porlyusica," Makarov said when the woman was through. "I owe you."

"Certainly. Repay me by staying away," Porlyusica responded.

Makarov grinned. "It was nice to see you, too."

* * *

Elfman and Lisanna sat on a huge fallen log, both kicking their feet in harmony while Laxus leaned against a tree, arms crossed, a miserable look on his face.

"Let's go," Makarov said. Everyone shuffled into position behind him, following as he led the way out of the forest.

"Tomorrow I'll send you into town to do a little bit of shopping, Mirajane," Makarov said as they walked. "Can you be trusted with some money to get clothing for yourselves?"

"I'm not a baby," Mira said. "I think I can manage."

Makarov didn't flinch at her rough tone; perhaps that's what made Mira's irritation fade.

"Thank you."

"Very well," Makarov said patiently. "We'll need to take the train to Magnolia, that's where Fairy Tail is. We were just on our way back..." He trailed off and glanced at Laxus. The boy looked ashamedly at the ground. Mira looked between the two curiously but didn't press it. Everyone had their secrets. "Anyway, I'll cover your fare. Once you start work, I expect that money returned. Then we can talk about rent and such. Don't worry about that for now, though."

Nothing in the world was free, Mira knew this, but it wasn't a concept she expected to be learning at thirteen.

"Okay," she breathed the word out quietly and wished that she had more stuff figured out for Elfman and Lisanna, that she could be more independent instead of depending upon the goodwill of strangers.

Laxus watched as Mira wiped a shaking hand over her cheek. The girl glowered at him when she caught him looking. Laxus turned away and pretended he didn't see her cry.

* * *

"We should probably talk more in depth about what happened back in Ketnab," Makarov said hours later. Before them was a large building with the words 'Fairy Tail,' scrawled over the entrance.

Mira plucked at the stained fragments of her yellow dress, shooting a look between Laxus, Elfman and Lisanna.

Makarov intuited what she wanted. "It can be later. Perhaps even tomorrow morning before you go into town?"

Mira nodded.

"Good. Maybe Cana has somethings you and Lisanna can wear. I'll ask." Makarov looked to Laxus. "Could you show them around then find a shirt for Elfman?"

Laxus grunted something like agreement. He was gone, heading into the guild hall before Mira could say thank you. She rushed to catch up, Elfman and Lisanna on her heels.

Laxus yanked open one of the twin doors. He didn't bother holding it for Mira. She caught it just before it closed and scuttled in.

The place smelled like old beer and smoke. A man sat at one of the many tables, a pipe in his mouth, puffing liberally. Another man, this one with dark hair, sat beside him drinking a mug of beer despite the early hour.

"Hey, what's this! Laxus has come home, eh?" The smoker chirped.

"Raven Tail's home," Laxus said lowly.

The men muttered something that Mira didn't quite catch.

Louder, the smoker asked, "Who's this?"

Laxus let Mira introduce herself.

"I'm Wakaba," the man with the pipe said. "And this is Macao. Master grab you up from Raven Tail, too?"

Mira shook her head, unsure of what to reveal about herself.

Laxus saved her. "Come on. Gramps' office is here." He moved along the bar and pointed to a door to the left. "Our rooms are up here." He took the stairs two at a time. Mira rushed. Elfman and Lisanna lagged behind, slower.

"Is Raven Tail another guild like Fairy Tail?"

Laxus glanced over his shoulder, a guarded look on his face. "Not really like Fairy Tail, no."

"But that's where your dad is?"

Laxus didn't answer. Mira wasn't sure if she liked him very much.

"This is your room." He stopped in front of a door at the top of the stairs and opened it. Inside was a double bed made with purple sheets. The sun was blocked out by a pair of sunlight yellow drapes, and on the floor was a carpet darker than midnight.

Laxus turned away.

"Where are you going?" Mira asked.

He didn't reply.

* * *

Wearing another girl's nightdress, her own clothes in the wash, Mira stared up at her new ceiling, lying in her new bed. Elfman lay between her and Lisanna, all three of them piled onto the twin mattress. It was a tight fit, but she didn't imagine that was the reason she couldn't sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw all that fire, Hyda's blood, and herself, herself as a flaming demon that wanted nothing but destruction. Miss Yunica's house was burning again, and this time, Elfman and Lisanna were inside.

A door down the hall opened and snicked closed quietly enough, she imagined that whoever it was didn't intend on being caught.

Mira was going to close her eyes again and try to drift back into sleep but something knocked in the hallway and she heard a sharp curse. Interest piqued, she detangled herself from Elfman and slipped quietly from the room.

The balcony door at the end of the hallway shut in time for Mira to watch the long wedge of intruding moonlight get blocked out.

 _Maybe it's Laxus_ , she thought. The boy that was cold in no uncertain terms. She nearly stopped, but then thought to hell with him. If she was staying here, she could go anywhere she wanted, right? Makarov hadn't told her she couldn't go out there. She was still nervous approaching the balcony, though.

Strengthening her resolve, she tightened her fingers around the collar of her borrowed nightdress and tiptoed on cold feet. At the end of the hall, she grabbed the door's brass handle and counted to three before she slipped out into the cool spring air. Immediately, her eyes found the boy that had drawn her from her restless slumber.

Her heart turned.

Laxus Dreyar stared out into the night, looking over the city of Magnolia with a complex expression on his face. He turned to look at Mira, his pale hair luminescent in the wan moonlight.

"What are you doing out here?"

Mira shrugged. "I just heard you get up."

He went back to looking out at the night. Mira came to his side and propped her arms on the balcony, determined not to be pushed away now that she'd screwed up her courage and got this far.

They stood in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time. Mira was scouring her mind for something to say when Laxus asked, "Were those people really trying to kill you?"

"What?" Mira fumbled.

"Gramps said he stopped them from stoning you."

"Yeah," Mira said. "I… I guess." It was surreal, like something that happened to someone else.

"Why were they doing that?"

She almost didn't answer, but really, who else did she have to talk to? "Because I'm a demon, apparently." The words were as bitter as she imagined.

"You are?" Laxus asked.

Mira shrugged, ludicrously more at ease. "That's what they say."

"Huh. You don't look like a demon to me," Laxus said.

"None of the demon's I've seen look the same."

He considered her.

"Are you a mage, too, like your grandfather?" Mira asked to draw the conversation from herself.

Laxus nodded. "Yeah, I use lightning magic." He looked at the girl, on the verge of telling her the secret his father forced him to keep. Would it be so bad to tell someone? He was excited for the new power. Why did he have to be silent about it?

Thinking of his father's furious face, he let the moment die and asked instead, "Do you use magic?"

"No." If she could, she would have protected the people she loved.

"Hey, you want to see something cool?" Laxus prodded to drag Mira from her depression.

The girl raised her face and looked at him curiously. "Alright," she agreed, "But it better not be anything weird. I'll kick your ass if it is."

"Weird like how?" Laxus scoffed.

"Like, I don't want to see—" She trailed off, her cheeks reddening. "Never mind. It's fine. Go ahead."

Laxus shrugged. "Watch this." He held up his hands, palms facing each other. His expression turned to one of concentration. At first Mira didn't see anything in the dim night but then, just as she was about to look away, a bright white jolt of lightning bounced between the boy's hands before arcing wildly towards the guildhall, drawn in by some piece of unseen metal. The lightning crashed louder than Mira thought possible. Something exploded inside.

"Uh oh," Laxus breathed.

"Laxus!" boomed a familiar voice.

"Shit..." Laxus pushed Mira between the shoulder blades through the door. "Hurry, pretend like you were asleep so he won't know it was us!"

"Us?" Mira asked disbelievingly. "It was you!"

"Are you going to rat on me?" Laxus asked with searing eyes.

Mira blushed under that gaze. "No."

"Good. Night, Mirajane," Laxus said before he hurried down the hall, socked feet sliding over the polished wood floor. His door closed quietly behind him. Mira rushed to her own room and closed the door less gracefully. She dropped hurriedly into bed, jarring Elfman out of sleep.

Elfman blinked sleepy eyes at his sister. "Mira, what—"

Mira clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shh!"

Footsteps sounded up the hallway. She heard Laxus' door open.

"Every light in the guild is burned out, Laxus."

There was no reply. Mira imagined him pretending to sleep.

Makarov didn't buy it, obviously. "What did I say about sneaking out and electrocuting things? One day you're going to cause a fire and someone is going to get hurt. Faking sleep isn't going to help you, Laxus. I know you were showing off for that Strauss girl, I saw you two out on that cursed balcony. Flirt like a regular boy in the middle of the day without wrecking everything, not at all hours of the night when you're disturbing all the neighbors."

"Fairy Tail is the only building out here, Gramps. And I wasn't flirting," Mira heard Laxus complain. He had apparently dropped the sleeping act, well and truly caught now.

"Whatever you say, just listen when I tell you not to do something," Makarov insisted. Mira thought Laxus was the kind of boy that would disobey just because Makarov had insisted.

She smiled.

"You were flirting with a boy, Mira?" Lisanna asked sleepily from beside Elfman.

"No way, Mira doesn't flirt," Elfman reprimanded. "Right?"

Mira snorted disbelievingly. "Right. I'm not even sure I like him." Though her face was burning and her heart was beating and her skin was singing where Laxus had touched her back.

"Drop it and go to sleep, both of you. We have to go shopping tomorrow, don't forget."

Her brother and sister grumbled but obeyed, being of an age where threats from their big sister still meant something.

The sound of their light snoring came and Mira was still looking up at her new ceiling, unable to sleep for an entirely new reason: she couldn't stop thinking about the boy with the lightning magic.

* * *

Makarov's eyes were grey like Laxus', but lined at the corners with deep crow's feet. They cut through Mira in much the same way, though, knowing and intelligent. Sitting in front of his desk the next morning, back in her too-big dress, Mira studied him warily. She expected him to talk to her about the balcony incident, but he only said, "Tell me what happened back in Ketnab. Everything, start to finish."

"Everything." Mira repeated.

It wasn't a question, he answered anyway. "Yes, Mira. Tell me how you came to be here. What happened to your parents, and everything after? We have lots of time, with Wakaba offering to watch Elfman and Lisanna."

She chewed her nail.

"I won't kick you from my halls, if that's what you're afraid of," Makarov assured. "You'd have to do something pretty awful to be thrown from Fairy Tail."

"You haven't heard my story yet," Mira said skeptically.

Makarov frowned. "I know it's asking a lot, but trust me."

Mira huffed. "Fine." She launched into an abbreviated and edited version of her tale, one in which she didn't touch the demon and catch flame without actually burning, nor when she seemed to make Miss Yunica's home catch fire.

By the end of it, Makarov only puffed his cheeks thoughtfully, then said, "Thank you for being truthful."

It wasn't what Mira expected. She waited for the hate and fear; it never came. "That's it?"

"That's all. It's tragic what happened to your parents. My condolences. Alas, the world doesn't stop for grief." Makarov pulled out a metal container from his drawer can counted from it more than enough money for the Strauss' to get what they needed.

"Here. Make sure to get things like socks and underwear, too, and any other... Hygienic things you may need." He flushed with the last. Mira read between the lines and blushed herself. She took the money without a word and stood, leaving Makarov to watch her exit.

* * *

Walking into town was a terrifying experience. Mira's heart thumped with every step she took. She expected every person she and her siblings passed to point a finger and shout, "Demon!"

None did.

A clothing shop named Blue Lagoon claimed to have it all, and it certainly had a lot. Everything from kids' clothes to adult's and even things between.

Mira got everything she could possibly think of for Elfman and Lisanna in the kids' section, then wandered into the back corner where skirts and shorts and sweaters with torn sleeves and sequins caught her eye. It wasn't what she'd usually wear, but that Mira was gone, burned up in the fire that took her old life away. It was time for someone new.

She got them all, and a pair of black army style boots, too, weathering her sibling's skeptical gazes.

"Are you sure you should be buying those? They're pretty short," Elfman said uncertainly, looking at the shorts.

"Shut up," Mira said and palmed his head, forcing his face toward the ground. She let up only when he squawked indignantly and teetered forward.

"Hey," Lisanna said from the front of the shop. "Isn't that Laxus?"

Mira whirled around to see where Lisanna pointed. Sure enough, there was Laxus, slinking toward an alley across the road. He had the hood of an overlarge sweater pulled up over his head, but Mira got her confirmation when he checked over his shoulder as if making sure he wasn't followed and she saw his face. No one had a scar like that, or that shock of blonde hair.

Her heart flopped once irritatingly. She turned her back to the window and took her purchases to the front of the store. The woman working the cash looked as though she'd smoked her whole life, skin saggy and wrinkled. Her eyes were kind, though.

"Find everything?"

"Hope so," Mira said. She doled out the money while Elfman and Lisanna people watched. Then, her new clothes stuffed into a bag emblazoned with Blue Lagoon's signature weeping willow, she gathered up her siblings and rushed from one store into the next: a coffee shop next door.

Mira chose an empty table at random. "Here, guys, hang out here for a bit, okay?"

"Where are you going?" Elfman asked.

"Just out for a second." Mira dug out some of Makarov's change and handed it over to her brother. "Get you and Lisanna a cookie or something. I'll be right back."

She dashed for the washroom with her bag in her hand before either could say anything.

The room was small and dingy, one side of the light over the sink burned out. Mira dropped the bag to the counter and took out her new clothes, stripping off her old dress and dropping it into the garbage in favour of her new shorts and a plain black tank top. Her new boots came next. She barely took the time to tie up the tall laces. She fixed her hair—it was puffy, there was really no helping it—and checked her teeth. They were as white as ever. Mostly satisfied, she threw open the door and came rushing out, dropping her bag on their table on the way by. Lisanna looked up, a chocolate chip cookie mostly in her mouth. She said something that was lost on Mira as she bolted out of the door, the alley Laxus wandered down in her sights.

* * *

At the alley's edge, a boy of sixteen or seventeen tore past Mira, a startled look on his face.

A voice came from the shadows.

"Is this what you do now, Laxus? You've barely been gone a day and you're in your old haunts, looking for something to help you waste the day away?"

Mira didn't know why she hung back, choosing to peak around the corner covertly. From her vantage point, she saw Laxus stuff a bag of something dark green into his pocket. He turned and faced the shadows at the back of a garbage-filled alley.

"What are you doing here, Dad? Gramps will be mad if he knows you're in Magnolia after yesterday."

The man stepped from the dark. He was tall and broad and resembled Laxus not just a little. His mouth was bruised like he'd been hit. "I just needed to check on my boy. How is that lacrima?"

"I don't know... It hurts. Every time I breathe, I feel it."

"You need to work it. It'll get better the more frequently you use it."

"Gramps will see and he'll know," Laxus complained.

The older man hummed. "But he took you to the hag to get it sewn up and they didn't suspect?"

"Yeah. No one said anything." Laxus rubbed his chest absently again. "It's itchy."

"You should practice with it. If you don't it will go dormant and the next time you use it, it'll break."

"You said it was safe."

"A dog is safe if trained correctly. If not, it could bite your fingers off."

"Yeah, but you said—"

"What I needed to," the man said coldly.

"But—"

"The other option was to remain a weak disgrace and die. Train so you can be a man, Laxus, not the sniveling boy that walked from my guild held up by his foolish grandfather."

Mira got the distinct impression that she shouldn't be hearing this conversation but she couldn't pull away, either; her curiosity was too much.

"What an embarrassment. But you'll rectify it by returning stronger than ever, right?"

"How am I supposed to train when you don't want Gramps knowing—"

"Figure it out."

"Yeah, Dad, but—"

"All I'm hearing are excuses."

"No, I just think—maybe—what if we made a mistake?"

"That's that old fool's sentiments coming through, not mine. You're my son, Laxus, not Makarov's, don't forget."

"Yah, I know, Dad, but people mess up all the time. We can just take it out—"

Mira barely saw it happen, it was so fast, but the aftermath was clear, the loud crack of skin against skin. Laxus reeled back, clutching his face. There came a pregnant pause. The one Laxus called 'Dad' interrupted it.

"Not me. Mind your tone."

Mira bit her fingernail and wondered if she should interrupt. What would she say, though? She gnawed harder on her nail, punishing it for her cowardice.

"You're the only one I have, Laxus, not your mother, not your grandfather. Just me and you. I had to do the extreme to keep you alive. Don't let your grandfather poison you toward me."

There was the sound of disgruntled sniffling, if there could be such a thing.

"Men don't cry, Laxus. Straighten up and look me in the eye. Are you going to rat us out to your grandfather, yes or no?"

"No."

"And are you going to train?"

"Yes." The word was whisper quiet.

"Louder, and look me in the eye."

"Yes, alright? Fine." Laxus' voice broke on the last.

"Good. If you find you're having a hard time getting away from that old fool, come to Raven Tail and we'll get you set up right."

"Gramps doesn't want me there."

Mira watched the man's jaw tighten. She thought he was going to hit Laxus again, but his fingers only clenched and unclenched.

"I suppose there isn't any reason to rock the boat anymore at the moment. Don't tell him where you plan on going, just that you're going on a training mission. Come to Raven Tail for awhile. How old are you now, boy?"

"Fifteen," Laxus muttered.

"Good. That's just the kind of thing he'd expect from a boy your age. Alright?"

"Alright," Laxus sounded dejected to Mira's ears.

"Good; you best be getting on your way now. Go on. I'll see you soon, son."

Laxus started to turn. Mira whirled on her heel and ran all the way back into the coffee shop. She slammed the door behind her, breath gusting out of her chest, and peered through the frosted glass. She saw Laxus emerge from the alleyway, face turned towards the ground, feet dragging against the road. He hadn't seen her.

"Mira, why did you just stand there? How come you didn't try to talk to him?" Elfman asked, coming to her elbow.

"Shut up, Elfman. Mind your own business," Mira snapped unnecessarily. She glanced at the hurt look on his face and reeled in her temper. "Sorry, Elfman. I just didn't know what to say."

"Hi would have been a good start," Elfman murmured.

"Come on," Mira said. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Magnolia's streets were getting busier as the day wore on. Women wearing veils stood on stages and danced in ways Mira had never seen anyone dance before, men played guitars and sang, children ran about laughing and screaming, some in rags, some in the finest silks. Magnolia was a melding pot.

Outside of an ice cream shop, Mira pulled her brother and sister up short.

After the cookie, Elfman and Lisanna didn't really need ice cream, but they'd had such little fun lately, she found she didn't really care.

"You want to split a large one?" Mira asked.

"Yes, please!" Lisanna sang. Elfman laughed and rushed the door, Lisanna hot on his heels. They jarred each other and fell backwards when they both couldn't fit at once. Mira laughed and held the door open for them.

The shop was half-full of people drinking milkshakes or eating ice cream, trying to escape the unusually hot spring air.

"I want vanilla," Elfman said.

"Strawberry," Lisanna countered.

Deciding ice cream wasn't a democracy, Mira went to the plump man behind the counter and ordered three scoops of chocolate. "In a waffle cone."

The man barely glanced at the threesome, but when he turned around to fill their order he paused, his eyes snagged on a piece of paper above the ice cream fridge. He turned and shot a furtive look over his shoulder then back at the paper, his face paling.

"White hair, blue eyes... two sisters and a brother," Mira heard him mumble.

And then:

"Please leave," the shopkeeper said hurriedly, turning to look at the trio.

"What? Give us our ice cream." Mira said.

"No, leave. We don't serve your kind here."

Mira's heart sank. "My kind?"

"Go on, get out." The man shooed them towards the door, his movement revealing the sheet of paper that was tacked up behind him.

'OUR HEAVENLY FREEDOM,' the paper read.

Whispers rang through the shop as people became aware of the unfolding scene.

"Isn't that Father Creighton's church?" Elfman asked, seeing the paper the same time Mira did.

"I knew it was you, She-Devil!" the shopkeeper foamed, "My brother attends that church. He told me what you are, what you did! Get out, out, out!" He picked up a stack of fliers and threw them at Mira, turning suddenly combative. Mira put her hands over her face to protect her eyes, papers fluttering violently around her. People in the shop began to talk animatedly, not trying to pretend as though they weren't listening any longer.

"I'm not a devil!" Mira hated the way her voice sounded weak and whiney as it left her mouth.

"Heretic! Leave this shop! Leave this town! We don't want your kind here!" The shopkeeper reached down into a tub of ice cream and picked out a handful of the cold food. He flung it at the three Strauss siblings. It hit Lisanna in the face just under her eye. She began to cry loudly.

"Don't touch her!" Mira yelled, fury burning up shock and fear.

"You gutted that woman! Then you burned her house to the ground with Father Creighton inside!" He was so furious spittle flew from his lips.

Elfman grabbed Mira's hand and pulled her backwards. A cup hit Mira in the shoulder, coming from behind. People were beginning to throw things, too, Mira realized, following the shopkeeper's lead. The cold that came before the fire bloomed in Mira's chest. _No_ , she thought, and _yes_ , because didn't these people deserve to be punished?

"Come on, Mira," Elfman tugged at her in earnest now. Mira allowed herself to be dragged off, shocked by her violent thought. She kept her hold on a sobbing Lisanna, not daring to let her go for even a second.

The three of them broke out into the busy streets, getting bathed in the warm spring sunlight. It was so contrary to the scene inside that it took Mira a second to process that someone barred their path.

She blinked, face to face with Laxus. He looked at them curiously and then back at the now rioting ice cream shop. The door opened and someone threw a drink at Mira. It hit the cobblestones and splashed, little droplets of milkshake splattering over her new boots.

"Hey!" Laxus yelled. "What the hell?"

"Don't protect the She-Devil, boy! She'll curse you, too! She's a monster!" a woman cried. "I heard it!"

"What?" Laxus asked.

"She's a killer!"

An ice cream cone came next, the scoops flying every which way. One globbed onto Laxus' pants, staining them blue.

"Fuck off," Laxus swore roughly. "I liked these jeans."

Another glob of ice cream came screaming out of the open door and landed on Laxus' chest. It splattered there, pink cream dribbling down his shirt to drip and pool on the ground. Laxus scowled. Lightning shot out of his hands and crashed against the metal door. The woman screeched and leapt backward, barely missing getting electrocuted. The shop quieted.

Lightning arced wildly out of control for three whole seconds. Then Laxus seemed to get hold of it.

"Come on," he told them and walked quickly back toward Fairy Tail. Mira was too shocked to do anything but follow.

* * *

It was impossible to dodge Master Makarov as they came into the guild. All four of them were sticky and coloured with ice cream and utterly miserable.

"What's this?" Makarov demanded, face growing dark.

Before anyone could say anything, Lisanna began to cry wildly and threw her arms around Makarov's legs. Ice cream from her hair and face soaked into his shirt.

"Speak up, boy," Makarov ordered over Lisanna's sticky head of hair.

Laxus relented. By the end of the sordid tale, Master Makarov was seething. He gently removed Lisanna from his chest. "Get cleaned up," he told them. "I'll return shortly." He didn't spare them a second look as he stormed out the door.

* * *

Showered, clothes washed, Mira tucked Elfman and Lisanna into bed, then ventured out to the balcony to hang their clothes to dry, half hoping she'd see Laxus there again, but not, because her meager bra and underwear also needed to be hung on the line.

The place was empty.

She beat away disappointment and hung her things, using the fading cherry glow of the sun to see by.

In the silence she thought, though her mind didn't wander to anywhere worth being. The last few days kept playing through her head like a movie reel, one she couldn't turn off. Gutted, the man in the ice cream shop said. The demon said he'd torn out her heart, but now she could perfectly envision the woman's flabby folds peeled back so everything inside could come out. And the fire. _Demon. She-Devil. Heretic._ Ash and dust and smoke and flame.

"What are you thinking?"

His voice broke over her like a cool wave. Heart in her throat, Mira whirled, Lisanna's shirt in hand, and met Laxus' steady grey stare. There was a yip on her tongue that she smothered. "You scared me."

"Wasn't like I was quiet or nothing." He glanced out in the growing night. Mira wanted to grab his face and direct it away from her clothes but wouldn't. It was stupid to be embarrassed.

"So?" Laxus pulled out a small metal pipe unlike any tobacco pipe she'd ever seen, and grabbed the clear plastic bag from earlier from his pocket.

"Hm?"

He repeated, "What were you thinking about so hard?"

"Oh..." Mira rested her elbows on the balcony. "I guess... Just about that ice cream shop."

"They were dumb." He started packing the pipe's bowl with fingers that weren't quite used to the motion.

"What are you doing?" Mira asked.

"Smoking. Want some?"

"Smoking what, exactly?"

He shrugged.

"Is that drugs?" Mira asked.

He searched her eyes. "You going to rat me out?"

She recalled Laxus' father saying the same thing. Her heart hurt for him. She shook her head. He stuffed the pipe in his mouth and lit the green detritus, sucking in deep. The smoke smelled not entirely bad, but not great, either.

"It makes you high?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"What does it feel like?"

He held out the pipe. Mira almost took it but she was afraid. "Maybe next time. Hey, I wanted to say thanks for your help earlier. I don't know what they would have done if you didn't show up." _Or what I would have done._ Even still, she could feel the cold passenger in her chest, begging to be freed.

"No worries."

Mira stared out into the gloaming hour, watching the last of the sun fade. She weighed her next question carefully. Finally, deciding that Laxus wasn't the type to sugar-coat anything, she asked, "Do you think Elfman and Lisanna would be okay here by themselves?"

Laxus quirked a brow. "Going somewhere?"

Mira shrugged. "Maybe."

He studied her, then smiled. "No you're not."

Mira popped out her lip. "What do you mean?"

"Doesn't matter what those assholes say or what you think of yourself, you won't leave them." He said it with such conviction, like he knew her. Mira stiffened. Laxus continued beneath her withering glare. "But I'll let you know anyway, in case you get the guts to one day. Fairy Tail's okay. Gramps is kind of a rash sometimes, but there're worse places."

She wanted to ask, _'Like your father's guild_?' but didn't.

Rustling inside the guild hall made Laxus tense. He blew out the remainder of the smoke in his lungs and dropped his pipe two stories to the ground below just as the door opened and Makarov came out.

"What are you two doing out here?"

"Talking," Laxus said immediately.

"Talking, eh? That's not Sweet Grass I smell on the air?"

Laxus shrugged. "I don't know."

Makarov glowered. "Liar. Talk inside like regular people," he snapped, "That way I can keep an eye on you." He left then when Mira expected him to stay.

Laxus sighed. "Guess we better get back."

"Are you going to be out here again tomorrow?" Mira asked.

"Yeah," Laxus said after some consideration. "Probably."

Mira grinned. "Maybe I'll see you then."

* * *

The sun was setting on the horizon, the view from the balcony stunning. Laxus was smoking again, as he had every other night for the last week. Mira synched it up with the days that he didn't sneak into the bush—to train, she suspected, but hadn't gathered the courage to ask.

She watched him inhale deeply, his eyes glossing over as his mind slowed. Soon he'd be dopy and smiley as he wasn't usually, the brooding boy that always sat by himself at the back of the guild on temporary vacation.

"Get a job yet?" he asked between inhales.

"No," Mira griped. "No one will hire me. They either call me a She-Devil or say I'm too young." It'd been the same tune for days. When she wasn't cussed at, she was turned away based on her age alone. Never mind that she was turning fourteen in a week. No one cared.

"So you're going to take Gramps' offer?"

"Be a server for a bunch of rowdy drunks? Sounds great."

"Better than nothing, isn't it?"

Wasn't it? "Maybe I'll hold out a little longer." The sun gave up the ghost, disappearing. They sat in silence long enough for the moon to make an appearance. The pipe finished, Laxus dropped lazily to the porch and slung his arm over his knees, head tipped back.

Mira hung over the banister and stared listlessly out into the night.

"Something will come along," Laxus said finally.

Mira huffed. She wasn't so sure. To draw attention from herself, she asked, "Do you get sick of the way people treat you here?" She had watched guild members tease him because he was Makarov's grandson. Though it was mostly in jest, she thought they truly believed he got special treatment. Sometimes Mira thought about sticking up for him, but when he was sitting in his booth alone with a glower on his face, he never looked as though he wanted or would appreciate her help.

"It's fine," Laxus said abruptly. The drugs weren't making him smile now.

Mira sighed and dragged her finger over the banister. She squinted out into the cool spring night, scavenging for something profound to say that would smooth things over. He was her only friend, if she could call him that. Not that there were many kids their age. Cana, a bratty brunette with an attitude, and Natsu, a mouth-breather that spewed fire every chance he got. At first Lisanna was scared of him, but now she seemed sort of... Obsessed. Wanting to see the fire again and again, as if that would help her overcome her fear.

"What was your dad like?" Laxus asked suddenly.

Mira startled, totally caught off guard. "Huh? My dad?"

"Yeah, your old man. What was he like?"

Mira had never really thought about it before. "I don't know… he made us a lot of toys." She felt a pang of sadness when she thought of Princess Queen, her bullfrog. It was charred like everything else. "I don't even know if I really knew my father," she said quietly.

"Why not?"

"The demon that killed him said he was a demon hunter. If he was, he never told us."

"Demons lie," Laxus said passively.

"How do you know that?"

"I don't know; it's just a thing. The sun rises, the birds sing. Demon's lie."

It was a simple way of looking at things. Mira turned the logic over in her head and nodded. "Yeah," she paused. "What about your old man?" the term was odd on her tongue, more of a Laxus-ism than a Mira-ism, but she forced it to come out as naturally as possible. She glanced at him sideways, remembering the conversation she had overheard in the alleyway. She wondered if he'd say anything about it...

Laxus clenched his fingers into a tight fist. "He's... Him and Gramps don't get along. We were on our way back from my dad's when we found you guys. Gramps came to get me." Laxus clamped his lips together and worried at them.

Mira looked at the boy but didn't push it.

"Hey, you want to go to the river?" Laxus asked, an impulsive look in his eye.

"The river? Where's that?"

"In the woods behind the guild. Come on, let's go swimming." Laxus encouraged.

"I don't have a swim suit," Mira protested.

"So? What are you embarrassed about? I won't look." Laxus didn't wait for her to respond. Instead, he drew himself up and launched over the side of the railing, dropping a solid ten feet to the ground below.

Mira hesitated, cheeks flushing hotly. She watched Laxus' blonde head disappear into the forest before she threw away her modesty and jumped after him, determined not to be shown up by a stupid boy. She raced to catch up and found him waiting for her at the edge of the forest.

"Thought you'd come," Laxus said with a grin and grabbed her hand. Sparks raced through Mira's veins on contact. She let herself be dragged through the woods. Laxus dodged tree branches and rocks that were barely visible by the light of the moon. This was obviously a route that he often traveled. Maybe this was even where he came to train. Her suspicions were confirmed when the path opened into a clearing and the night revealed the charred tree trunks all around.

Laxus pulled up short at the edge of a slow moving river. Its surface gleamed in the light of the moon. A small minnow came up to the surface of the water and gulped down a fluttering moth.

"This is my favorite spot," Laxus admitted as he surveyed the area.

"It's nice," Mira agreed. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thought it was because of what they were about to do, but really it had more to do with Laxus taking her to his favorite spot.

Laxus kicked off his sandals and dunked his toe into the water.

Mira followed suit, dipping the first quarter of her foot into the river. The skin was numbed almost immediately. "Geez, it's cold. You don't actually go swimming in here, do you?"

Laxus shrugged. "Yeah, sometimes. It's not that bad." He pulled at the buckle of his pants and dropped them so he was standing in his shorts. Mira looked away, cheeks hot. Laxus took an experimental step into the freezing water.

"Damn!" He shivered.

"You're an idiot, I'm not going swimming in that," Mira said dismissively.

"Scared?" Laxus teased.

"Just not high enough to be dumb," Mira returned with a mean tilt to her lips.

He lunged for her, meaning to drag her in, too, but slipped on the algae covered rocks and fell ungracefully, He yelled sharply as his body hit the freezing water. He was up and sputtering in seconds but the damage was done, he was soaked.

Mira doubled over laughing until Laxus cupped a handful of icy water and splashed it at her. Soaked and cold, she gasped and cussed, using words she'd heard her father use sometimes.

Laxus laughed and stumbled out. "Serves you right for making fun of me."

Mira wiped her face. "You're an asshat."

He smiled and dropped himself down on the bank.

"I see you still want to go swimming," Mira teased.

"I'd like to see you get in there," Laxus returned. "It's cold!" His teeth chattered.

Mira sobered. "You want to go back?"

Laxus shook his head. "Nah, not yet."

Mira settled down next to him, cold but unwilling to give in to something so human just yet. She was having fun.

"Hey," Laxus said. He stared up at the sky, not meeting Mira's eye.

"Hm?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, eh? For a few months, maybe half the year,"

Mira didn't have to act surprised. She had heard Laxus and his father talking about him leaving to spend some time there but she didn't think it would be so soon. "Why?"

Laxus shrugged. "I want to be an S-Class mage. I have to train hard for that. This is the best way."

Mira tried not to feel too depressed. "So that's it, you're just going?"

Laxus looked at her curiously. "You're not going to cry or anything, are you?"

Mira scowled. "I don't cry."

"Heh," Laxus scoffed. "That's horseshit. I saw you."

She jabbed an elbow into his ribs a little harder than necessary. The smile died off of Laxus' face. "Sorry, Mira. I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I know. I guess it'll be kind of lonely without you around for awhile," she admitted reluctantly.

"I'll be back before you know it and I'll be even better than before. I'll learn all kinds of new magic and then we can go back and tear up that stupid ice cream shop so they know they can't just mess with whoever they want." He didn't know if those were the right words to say, so he was relieved when she let the tiniest smile he had ever seen creep onto her lips.

"Are you going to learn magic, too? Become an S-Class wizard and take on awesome jobs?" Laxus asked.

"Hm. Maybe. Your grandfather said he would teach me. Do you think he can?"

"Probably," he said.

Mira turned her options over. If she could become a mage, she wouldn't have to be a waitress. And she could hunt down that demon and kill it before it came after them again. "I guess it'd be kind of cool."

Laxus' teeth chattered once more.

"Let's go back," Mira encouraged.

"I knew you weren't that tough," Laxus teased.

Mira shoved a finger between his ribs and grinned savagely when he howled. He glowered at her but stood and pulled on his pants over his wet shorts. Mira looked into the trees as he dressed.

"Come on," Laxus slipped his fingers between hers and guided her easily from the forest. He didn't try to drop her hand even after they stepped out of the shrubs and Mira didn't pull away, either, not until they were at the balcony again.

"Here." Laxus dropped her hand and made a stirrup out of his fingers. "I'll boost you, then help me up."

Mira did as he suggested, grabbing first the lattice and climbing, then the railings and hauled herself up and over the side. Her feet landed just as a flicking noise came to her ears. A small flash of a controlled spark lit the air. Mira startled back against the railing.

"Mira, help me up!" Laxus scrambled up the side of the balcony, lattice squealing beneath his weight. "Mira! Where did you go?" One of the thin boards broke beneath his foot. Laxus grunted and scrambled. By some luck he managed to swing his leg over without her help, but it was ungraceful.

"What the hell, Mira? I'm way too—"

"Do I even want to know what you brats were doing out there alone in the dark the night before you leave, Laxus?" Makarov's voice was low and suspicious. He lit his lighter again and stoked his tobacco pipe.

Laxus sobered up and got vertical. "Gramps… Nothing."

"I don't believe a word you say, but because I'm glad that you've finally found a friend, I'm willing to let it go with a warning," Makarov said. "Make no mistake, though, you and I are going to have a talk, boy, and it's going to be uncomfortable for the both of us." He addressed Mira. "Mirajane..." The old man sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "I'll get a woman to do it."

"Huh?" Mira sputtered, and then the pieces clicked together. "No!" Her neck was hot. "It's not like—no!" She couldn't even bring herself to finish. She just shook her head.

Makarov muttered incomprehensibly. Laxus, looking as though he had caught on, too, blushed. "We weren't doing _that_."

The old man squinted at the pair of them. "I don't want to know. Regardless, we're still having that chat. Now get to bed."

Mira and Laxus slunk off into the guild, side by side. Mira thought Laxus would slip into his room without saying goodnight but he pulled up short.

"In case I don't see you tomorrow before I leave, stay out of trouble."

"Huh. I don't get into trouble, Laxus, not usually. I think it follows you and then finds me," Mira said with a grin.

Laxus scrubbed his hair sheepishly. "Maybe. Night, Mira."

"Night,"

Mira slipped into her room and settled down for another long pursuit of dreaming. It was going to be tough without Laxus for a few months, but maybe when he got back they could pick right back up where they left off.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone! Sorry for the delay.

See you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Mira's fourteenth birthday snuck by in silence, escaping even her siblings' attention with everything that had been going on. She thought about mentioning it to _someone_ , but it felt like crying for attention, and she wouldn't be that girl. Not when there were other, more important things to think about. Like how she couldn't stand Erza Scarlet. Like how she was sometimes friends with Cana, but mostly not. Like how Elfman and Lisanna required more of her attention than she imagined she could ever possibly give.

When she wasn't doting on her siblings, she worked in Fairy Tail's bar and had been for three months, caving beneath the pressure of having to pay for food and rent when no one else would hire her. Not today, though. Today, she lay beneath a huge maple tree, studying its orange and red leaves overhead. Fall was coming to strip away the greenery; it hadn't set down its roots yet, not fully. She wasn't by herself, though she kind of wished she was. Cana lay beside her, brown hair overlaying her own. They watched the clouds roll by. Mira _supposed_ this was what friendship was supposed to be like. Really, it just felt like they were both escaping together.

"A boy kissed me today," Cana said out of the blue.

"Huh?" Mira asked.

"On the mouth," Cana confirmed.

Mira rolled her head over. "You're such a little liar."

"It's true," Cana maintained.

Mira snorted. "Sure."

The girl turned her head so Mira could get the full effect of her haughty grin. "You're just jealous."

"Why the hell would I be jealous?" Mira wondered.

"Because you've never kissed anyone before," Cana said.

Mira couldn't deny her, though she wished she could. "Whatever. It was probably bad anyway."

Cana got an annoyed look to her face. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you're here with me instead of kissing this boy," Mira returned, her tongue like a knife.

"I'm a good kisser," Cana assured.

"Yeah." Now she disagreed just to disagree, happy to see Cana's expression only become more outraged.

"You don't know anything, Mira."

"Shut up."

Cana was relentless. "Kiss me, then. I'll prove it."

Mira's response was immediate. "I'm not kissing you."

"Because you're afraid you'll suck?" Cana volleyed back.

"Because you're a girl," Mira replied.

"So what? A girl taught me to kiss," Cana said.

Mira shook her head and continued to watch the clouds roll by, though her stomach was a mess of nerves. She'd never kissed anyone before, though there was a boy name Nathan that she thought might _want_ to kiss her. They'd met when she was trying to get more lime for Penny, Fairy Tail's current bartender. (The last had left when Wakaba wouldn't leave her alone. Being married didn't slow down his flirtations.) She liked him. Every time she saw him her heart beat a little faster. He was from Magnolia's tent district. He dressed in black, had spacers in his ears, and wore fishnet stockings on his arms. His hair was dreadlocked, his eyes were darkly lined most days, and he had a piercing through his lip that he let his friend do while Mira sat on one of the crates outside of his tent and watched the needle slide through.

Their relationship had gotten so far as Nathan letting his hand linger too low on her hip as they walked side-by-side. She didn't want to be a bad kisser when the time came, and it _was_ coming.

"Would you ever teach anyone?"

Cana rolled her head over so she was looking at Mira squarely. "To kiss?"

Mira's neck felt hot, her heart beat too fast. "Yeah."

Cana's smirk was meaner than her own. "Awe, you want me to teach you?"

Annoyed, Mira elbowed her hard. "That's _not_ why I was asking."

Cana's smile didn't falter, though it _did_ become less malicious. "Liar." She developed an air of superiority. "I'll teach you, Mira."

Mira started to rise. "I told you, that's not why—"

"Awe, come on. I was only playing." Cana grabbed her hand and held it.

Effectively stopped short, Mira threw on her award-winning scowl. She'd been perfecting it for when Makarov told her that she didn't do a good job cleaning the tables. Or when Elfman and Lisanna were being particularly quarrelsome. Cana didn't flinch. _Maybe she's too dumb_ , Mira thought meanly.

"Come on."

"No," Mira said. "I'm not kissing you."

"Why not?" Cana asked. "The last girl I taught said I was a good teacher."

Mira shook her head. "Really? You think I'm going to fall for that? You're probably just saying this stuff so you can make fun of me—"

"Erza let me do it," Cana said.

Predictably, Mira folded her legs beneath her body and sat knee-to-knee with the brunette. "Really?"

"Yeah," Cana lied only because she knew it would get Mira's goat.

Mira harrumphed. _If Erza can do it, so can I._ "Was she good at it?"

Cana thought hard. "Yeah, pretty good, actually."

Mira didn't wait for an invitation as she leaned forward and pecked Cana's lips. The girl startled, then laughed. "Gee. You kiss me like you kiss Lisanna."

Mira flushed. "How am I _supposed_ to kiss you? Like—"

"Like this." Cana kissed her more thoroughly. Mira didn't _know_ what to do when Cana's tongue, tasting like sour apple bubble gum, brushed hers. But Cana taught her, making her ready for when Nathan tried.

* * *

It was another two weeks before that happened, beneath an oak tree at the side of the canal on a windy October day. The day of Mira's first—and _worst—_ job interview, actually. It was a maid's position at a rich family's home on the east side of town—she was determined to find something that wasn't gotten through Master Makarov's charity. It was going well until the owner's wife asked if she'd ever heard of Our Heavenly Freedom. Mira left without saying another word, knowing that the job wasn't hers, no matter how she answered that loaded question.

A darkly stained, threatening cloud rolled by. It hadn't started to rain yet, but it was coming.

While Mira played with the hem of her shorter-than-strictly-necessary skirt, Nathan wrestled a dark brown bottle from the pocket of his long leather coat. She didn't ask where he got it from, knowing it was probably stolen—both the coat _and_ the alcohol.

He took a deep swig and handed Mira the bottle. "Want some?"

It was the same line every week. She had always said no, but this time, Mira hesitated.

"Come on, Mira. It'll be fun," Nathan assured, sensing her wavering. "It'll help you forget about that stupid interview, too."

"What if someone sees us?" It wasn't _incredibly_ busy, this little nook they'd found, but it was busy _enough_.

"So what?" Nathan asked.

 _So what_? She didn't have a good answer. "Elfman and Lisanna…"

"You said that master of yours was watching them, right?" Nathan prodded.

"Well… yeah, I guess," Mira said.

"So… Have some. It's not going to kill you."

He seemed so confident and sure. Her heart was pattering hard. "I know that."

He still just held the bottle out, right there in the open for anyone to see. Mira caved beneath the peer pressure, taking the bottle and tucking it up her sleeve so no one could see it, and wriggled tighter against the maple. She looked around stealthily. An old man walked by with his dog. He glanced their way, but didn't say anything. When he'd moved on, Mira took a covert sip from the bottle. She almost spat it right back out. It was bitter and stomach-curdling strong.

"That's _terrible_ ," she complained when she could.

"Yeah, it's my mom's moonshine. It's pretty bad at first," Nathan agreed, "but once you have a few more it won't be so awful." He took the bottle back and took a huge mouthful to prove his point. He shivered and winced, but not as bad as Mira had.

He held it out again. She didn't want to seem like a wuss so she took it and drank it back. Again and again.

Ten minutes in, Mira discovered that Nathan was right; she only needed to drink a little more for the terrible taste to fade. Though she'd had wine before—usually at dinner, and usually only sips taken from her mother's glass—she'd never been drunk before. It was a strange sensation when the world grew dull and lazy around the edges. Soon her muscles relaxed and everything was endlessly funny. The stress of being the oldest sister of a small tribe who had lost absolutely everything hazed out. She felt good; better than she had in a long time.

"I don't know why I haven't done this before." Even her grin felt sloppy.

"I tried to tell you," Nathan shimmied a little closer so their shoulders were touching. Then he ventured in wrapping his arm around Mira's waist. It was awkward, she had to lean forward away from the tree, but when all was said and done, her skin was dancing and there was a happy flutter in her chest.

"Hey," Nathan said. "I want to ask you something."

Mira's responding grin was immediate and bright. "Well, I'm sitting right here." She imagined all the things he wanted to ask, like, maybe did she want to be his girlfriend. She didn't know what she'd say if that were the case. Maybe no, because Master Makarov had made it clear the _last_ time she'd dragged him around the hall that he wasn't too impressed with Nathan's piercings and pen-drawn tattoos and sour attitude. She knew somewhere, deep in her heart, that the old man was right, not just annoying. On the other hand, maybe she'd say yes, just _because_ she'd been told to stay away from him.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" Nathan's eyes were bright and glassy.

Mira smothered a laugh with the back of her hand, grateful for the tree's trunk at her back holding her in place.

"What's so funny about that?"

Mira's grin turned toothy. "I _have_ kissed someone."

Nathan had obviously been expecting a very different answer. "Who?"

"A girl," she dodged.

The tepid discontent the boy felt flaked away. "Yeah?"

She nodded.

"You like girls?"

Mira didn't think she _could_ get embarrassed, not feeling loose like she did. She was wrong. She wouldn't let him see it, though. "Well enough." She hoped Cana _never_ heard that. She'd barely talked to her since that day, embarrassed that she still thought about that kiss sometimes.

"What about boys?"

She caught herself tugging again at the hem of her skirt and _stopped_ the nervous twitch _._ "Well enough," she said again, hoping that it came out calm and collected, cool like she didn't think she was.

"And me?" He was leaning into her now, close enough that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. Her stomach flopped. Not ever one for waiting, she closed the space between them.

It wasn't as good as kissing Cana had been. Not even close. He was shocked for a second, not returning it _at all_ , then he was all tongue and sweaty hands, touching her ribs, then higher to the undersides of her breasts. Mira—against her better judgement—let him continue, though her heart was aching and she wasn't sure she liked it all that much. He dropped the act and grabbed her full on, pinching through her thin bra. Cana hadn't done _that_.

Feeling like her control over the situation was slipping, Mira pushed his hands back down to her ribs. He came right back up, grabbing her more thoroughly than before.

"Stop it," Mira said around his mouth.

Nathan leaned back a few millimetres so he could look at her. He was barely seeing her, drunk and eager for this. "Shh." He caught her lips in his.

Mira hesitated, unsure, but then he grabbed her again and she hardened her resolve. She got her hands between them and pushed him away. "Don't tell me to shh when I tell you to stop."

"Sorry, it's just you've been teasing me for _weeks_." He even managed to sound contrite. "Come on, Mira." Nathan tried one more time, leaning in like he meant to kiss her again. "Just a kiss."

Mira foolishly let it happen, thinking that it would be different. And it was, for several long seconds. Then Nathan must have decided that she didn't actually mean what she said. He went right back to groping her.

"Ugh, you're such a _pig_." Mira pushed him back roughly. "I told you no."

"Gods." He shoved his hands through his dark hair, pushing the dreadlocks back. "You drive me fucking crazy. What do you mean, _no?_ "

A new voice spoke before Mira could. "You have trouble understanding what no means, asshole?"

Mira's muscles tensed. Looking over her shoulder, she found their spectator. Laxus was looking broader and meaner than he had when he left six months before. She shimmied out of Nathan's clutch, cheeks flaming, shame curling in her chest. Not only had she been caught, she had been caught by _Laxus_. She would have rather turned around and seen Master Makarov there. She stood, using the tree as balance when the world spun and doubled.

Nathan stood, too, not wanting to be the only one on the ground. "Who the hell are you?" His menacing aura was diminished when he realized he wasn't as tall as Laxus and had to look up to meet his eye.

"I think the real question here is who the hell are _you_?" Laxus demanded.

Nathan lied. "Mira's boyfriend.

Laxus glanced at Mira and raised a brow. "Really slumming it now, eh?"

"No," Mira protested. "He's not..." Could her face burn any more?

The look Nathan gave her was accusatory and mean.

"He's just this guy I know," she continued, ignoring him.

"Just this guy that you were kissing, huh?" Nathan snapped.

Mira's whole body heated. "It's not like it meant anything. I just wanted to try." Nope, she was wrong, she _could_ blush more. She told herself to shut up, but the damage was done.

"You'd rather it was that chick? That what you're saying?"

"Shut up," Mira said.

"Gods. You do. You're a fucking dyke."

She didn't know what that meant, but the way he said it, it sounded awful. "Your kiss sucked."

His expression turned even more vicious, if that were possible. "You're a demon bitch _and_ a dyke. It's no wonder that church burned down."

"You don't know anything about that," Mira said angrily. The first tendrils of coldness started in her chest. It wasn't a feeling she'd experienced in months, but it wasn't anything she'd ever forget. _Go away, go away._

"I know enough. Everyone talks about it. Mirajane Strauss, the girl that killed her parents and the people that took her in—"

She wanted to clap her hands against her ears to block out his voice. Instead she told him, "You're just sore because I wouldn't let you do what you want. You can call me anything you like—I know you wanted it."

Nathan spat on Mira. She was immobile while the slimy spittle slid down her cheek, trying to put everything in order, trying to come to terms with what just happened. When she did, her vision narrowed, her ears roared. So much so that she _heard_ Laxus yelling, but she couldn't tell exactly _what_ he said.

Nathan started to turn away. Laxus moved to stop him but Mira was already grabbing the boy by the shoulder and spinning him around. Without much thought, she reeled back and punched him. Today was a day of firsts. The first boy she'd ever kissed was the first she'd ever punched, too—aside from Elfman, of course, but that was never very _hard._

Nathan bent over, clutching his gushing nose. The blood was so much that it dribbled through his fingers and stained the grass blades red. He grunted. "You punched me!" Every word was slurred and muffled, like there was cotton in his mouth.

Mira tightened her fingers and lashed out again, this time catching Nathan in his lying, kissing lips. Those split, inviting more blood to rush from his face. Seeing all the red, the familiar darkness rose in Mira's body. She choked against that hated sensation, battling with the alcohol in her veins and the rising demon.

It was a hopeless war, lost before it was ever really started.

" _Shut up_!" Mira yelled at Nathan, though he had said nothing comprehensible. The boy looked at her with wide and frightful eyes. "Stop looking at me!" She surged forward, determined to hit him more. Strong hands wrapped around her arms to stop her. Drawn up short, she bucked and pushed against her captor. It was to no avail, Laxus was bigger and stronger than she was.

"Calm down Mira," Laxus said. "You already broke his nose." He squished up his face, looking at the other boy. He was a mess. "Gramps isn't going to be happy about that."

"I don't care! I don't care what he says! Let me go!" Gods, the demon in her was rising. Terrified, she thrashed. Movement only made it worse, yet the was no slowing down this freight train.

The first tendril of flame licked up from her foot. Laxus released her and took a hasty step back. "Mira—"

"You can't just go around pushing yourself on girls and then saying stuff like that! Stuff you don't understand!" Mira said hotly, at war with her rage and her fear. She was so scared of the coming demon but she was so angry at Nathan, she almost didn't care, she almost _welcomed_ it. That terrified her most of all.

"O—okay," Nathan said. "Alright—I won't say that stuff anymore—"

His agreeance didn't seem to pacify her. The opposite, actually. She began to shake. Flames licked her palms. "So what if I kissed a girl?"

"I don't care about that," Nathan said. "I was just—I was just talking shit, trying to get a rise out of you—"

Oh, it had worked. "Mira, calm down," Laxus tried again, his own panic mounting. He had never seen her like this before; not that they had spent a great deal of time together, only a few stolen nights on the Fairy Tail balcony sharing secrets, but _still_. She was like a wild animal. There was a magic growing in her that was unlike anything Laxus had ever felt before.

Mira let out a strangled cry and then her whole body caught flame. Laxus was finally forced to let her go. Free, the girl went right for Nathan again, hitting him with a fist that was all fire. He took the hit gracelessly, sprawling against the ground, hair and skin seared. It smelled rank.

Wild, Mira leapt forward to deal Nathan another blow. _She's going to kill him._ Laxus reacted in the only way he knew how, hitting her with a burst of lightning. The girl-turned-flame stiffened and shivered as the electricity raced through her body. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she dropped like a hot sack of potatoes, the flames around her body dying. The ground smouldered beneath her body, but Mira was Mira once more. Laxus bent to make sure he hadn't actually hurt her, hunkering down so he could feel her breath break across his ear. She breathed rhythmically.

He looked up and fixed Nathan with a withering scowl. "If you speak a word about this to anyone, I'll find you. You won't like it when I do."

Nathan nodded jerkily and scrambled to his feet. He wasted no time whipping around on his heel and racing from the canal.

Laxus stooped and picked Mira up around the waist, grateful her skin was no longer searing hot. She was frightfully light in his arms; still just skin and bone. She groaned as he squished her against his chest.

 _Now what,_ he wondered. Walking through Magnolia like this was going to earn him some questioning looks, and more than a few judgements. Turning, he looked to the woods and the pathway there that would lead to his once-favorite spot. _And then?_ He imagined carrying her through the guild to her room. Gramps would catch them for sure and then they'd both be in trouble, Mira because she was drunker than a skunk, and Laxus because he hadn't bothered to write in all the time he had been gone. He wavered. _Maybe you can wait until she sobers up._ He couldn't avoid Gramps forever, but he could avoid him for another couple of hours, couldn't he?

Adjusting Mira so she was better balanced, he ducked into the woods, leaving the canal behind.

* * *

Warmth on her skin was the first sensation Mira became aware of. And movement. Branches brushed over her bare legs, scraping them lightly. It hurt, but not enough to protest. Cracking her eyes, she looked up through her lashes into Laxus' severe face. When had he gotten so serious? He didn't look down at her as they moved through the trees. But his hands were warm on her back and tucked up under her legs, forearms pressing to the bare skin there. Small electrical shocks moved through her body where his skin pressed against hers. Not _real_ electricity, at least, she didn't _think_ so. It was the only thing she could equate it to, though.

The brush thinned out. Laxus came to a stop and crouched, lowering Mira to a damp bed of soft moss. She thought about opening her eyes fully and letting him know that she was conscious, but this—studying him without his awareness—gave her a rare opportunity to see this _new_ Laxus without any sort of filters. His jaw was harder, as were his eyes, his hair blonder, as though he'd spent hours and hours outside. His skin was dark, too, his nose dusted with freckles that softened him just enough.

When he took his hands away, Mira's skirt rose a few inches. She was just about to adjust it, revealing herself, when she caught Laxus' eyes drifting down to the skin there.

She startled, remembering the way Nathan touched her. Had she always had this effect on boys? Or was it a new thing? She tried to stop her own face from heating and failed miserably. Laxus didn't seem to notice, too busy straightening and scrubbing his face. He went rooting through his pocket and pulled out a rolled cigarette and a beat up zippo, the steel scratched and etched with designs. He lit it, sucking the smoke in deep, then crouched and tapped her cheek with the fingers holding the burning cylinder.

"Hey, Mira."

She didn't know how to make her waking believable, so she just opened her eyes. They were in the forest, beside the creek. Laxus' favorite spot. "Hey." Then she laughed, still somewhat drunk.

He leaned back on his haunches and shook his head. "Yeah? That's what you gotta say to me? Hey?"

She pouted. "What's wrong with 'hey'?" Other than it felt totally inadequate after he stepped in on _that_ scene after months apart.

Laxus didn't tell her that she almost killed a boy, nor did he tell her she was wasted; she knew that well enough on her own. He crossed his legs, getting more comfortable, then puffed on his cigarette. It tasted like cherry. Under what he thought was a casual guise, he searched her eyes, looking for the beast of fire she'd become.

She knew the look too well. Sobering, she asked, "Are you scared of me, too?"

"Huh?" he asked, being purposefully obtuse.

Mira was having none of it. "She-Devil. I know you saw it. You can't deny it now. No one can. Master is going to kick us out." She bit her cheek to keep the sudden tears at bay, no longer laughing but abruptly miserable. _What are you going to do?_

She didn't particularly want to see the disgusted look on Makarov's face when he learned the truth.

 _Maybe this is a good time to leave Lisanna and Elfman behind_? They were happy in Fairy Tail. Everyone would know that it wasn't _their_ fault their sister was cursed.

"Gramps doesn't know?"

"Of course not," Mira sniped.

Laxus opened his mouth to say something but Mira was already on her feet.

"Save it. I've heard it all before." She brushed by him, mentally going through all of the things she'd want to grab out of her room. It was a surprisingly short list.

Laxus stared after her for a long moment, wondering if he should let her go or if he should stop her. "Wait, Mira."

She stiffened, keeping her back to him while she prepared for more verbal abuse. "What?"

"Come back." He shrugged off a pack he'd been carrying and rooted through the contents. A second later, he produced a bottle that looked just like the one Nathan had. Mira looked over her shoulder, the expression on her face uncertain.

"Come on, I saw you drinking with that dweeb. Don't pretend like you're too good for it now," Laxus teased.

"Where'd you get that from?" Mira wondered.

"Nicked it from my old—" He cut himself off. "It doesn't matter. Come on, we'll catch up."

"You don't hate me?" It almost seemed too good to be true.

Laxus shrugged. "I've done worse things than punch some asshole that deserved everything he got." He said it mildly, but his mouth got tighter with the admission. He bowled over it. "Come on." He patted the ground beside him and grinned convincingly. The tough exterior he had developed in the months he had been absent slipped and Mira was afforded a view of the boy Laxus Dreyar had been before he left Fairy Tail.

"Alright," she relented and came to sit beside her friend.

* * *

She didn't drink as much with Laxus as she had with Nathan, but she didn't need to, either. She was still flying high from earlier. Through that intoxication, the place where Laxus had shocked her throbbed dully. She fingered the area, feeling beneath her charred clothes. The skin was swollen and blistered.

"Sorry 'bout that," Laxus said when he caught her.

"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't do what you did."

"You would have stopped," Laxus said.

Mira wasn't so sure. She looked at him in the dying light; the sun was setting quickly now in the autumn days. There was still no hate in his eyes. What had he seen to make him fearless? Maybe he was just stupid. "Are you back at Fairy Tail for good now?"

Laxus shrugged noncommittally. "Not for too long, just wanted to take a break while I could. Things were getting... intense out there."

Mira longed to ask what his father made him do during all those months away, but he still didn't know that she knew where he had gone. She bit her lip instead and accepted the bottle when he handed it to her again. It was already half gone. She glanced at the boy by her side and tried to see if she thought he was drunk. He looked fine enough to her, maybe a little pink in the cheeks, but he wasn't glassy eyed and stupid like Nathan had been. This wasn't his first time, she decided, or even his fifth. She felt a pang of sadness, wishing she'd spent time having fun instead of working six days a week and bearing a weight she felt too weak to carry.

Laxus asked, "So, you going for the S-Class trials, yet?"

Mira's cheek heated. "No."

"I was just kidding, no one gets to be S-Class in their first year, Gramps won't choose you to compete," Laxus explained.

"No… I mean, I didn't learn any magic," Mira said ashamedly.

"Huh, didn't peg you as lazy," Laxus joked.

"I'm not!" Mira snapped. "I just... I can't use magic." She'd tried and tried—Card magic like Cana, picture magic like Reetus, even Wakaba's smoke, though it reminded her of the fire. Nothing took.

Laxus tilted his lips to the side. "That's bullshit."

"It's the truth. I just can't do it."

"Nah, it's not." He hesitated before he said, "Today… that was magic."

She glared out at the river. "What kind of fucking magic is that?" She almost never swore, unless it was at Erza, but it felt good now.

He hesitated, seeing the bright gleam in his friend's eye. He couldn't deny that darkness that rose up in her—it was powerful and absorbing, and felt a little like a demon, but he wasn't foolish enough to say that to her, not now. "Dunno. Maybe you should ask Gramps, he might know something."

"I don't want him to look at me like everyone else does," Mira said miserably.

Laxus didn't press it. She'd go if and when she felt ready, he couldn't force her. He changed the subject. "So. Girls, huh?"

Mira went stiff. "What?"

He didn't know _why_ he continued. "That guy said you were into girls. Or was he lying?"

She dropped her face to her knees. "Seriously?"

"Hey," Laxus backtracked. "I don't care either way." Except, he wanted to know her answer more badly than he cared to admit.

She turned her head sideways so she could search his face for any thread of meanness. All she saw there was curiosity. "I don't know. I like guys too, maybe." Nathan was a horrible person to base all of her judgements off of, but before he turned into a huge penis, she _had_ liked him. "Is that weird?"

He shrugged, not having the answers she wanted. "I don't know. I think you're alright, Strauss." He took another drink of the dark alcohol and passed it back to the girl. She accepted.

* * *

It was well and truly dark by the time Mirajane and Laxus stumbled back to the guild hall. Laxus thought about going through the front door, he really did, but Mira teetered threateningly and his head felt just as uncertain, so, to avoid a scene, he decided to leap over the balcony and sneak back into his room that way. He'd say hi to Gramps in the morning, when he was a little less drunk.

"Here," he made a stirrup in his hand and waited patiently for Mira to climb.

"Ha, remember the last time?" Mira snorted as she stumbled over.

"Yeah." How could he not? That was the most awkward conversation he'd ever had with his grandfather. Made more awkward still because he already _knew_ all that stuff. Gildarts had a tendency to ramble when he drank. And go into too much detail. "Just help me over this time, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." She gripped his shoulder tight and placed her leather boot in his palm. It was a difficult thing, as they both stumbled, and it wasn't nearly as quiet as they thought. Every time Laxus would teeter, Mira would howl with laughter and vice versa.

Finally, after much jostling and snorting and hoisting and groping, Mira scrambled over the side of the balcony. She panted for a moment, catching her breath, then remembered her promise and leaned over the edge. Laxus was there. He'd been calling her name, reaching for the ledge. Taking pity on him, she grabbed him by the bicep and hauled him over. Finally, Laxus got his leg over the banister and threw his weight over. Together they lurched. Mira tripped over her own feet. Down they went together. There was silence, then laughter, their shoulders bumping together as they stared up at the star-laced sky.

"Fuck. Alright." Laxus wiped tears from his eyes. "We should get in before Gramps realizes we're out here."

"And what makes you think he doesn't already know?"

Laxus stiffened at the sound of his grandfather's voice. Tipping his head back, he looked at the stout shadowed figure that blocked the balcony. "Gramps." Laxus sobered.

"You two are as loud as elephants," Makarov greeted. "Tell me, Laxus, why is it that I have to hear that you're back from the baker in town? Are you too good to say hello to your grandfather now, after so long apart?" Makarov said the words evenly but there was a bite to his voice.

Laxus sat up, then managed to stand. "Sorry, Gramps."

"And so you should be. Mirajane." Makarov fixed the small white haired girl with a leveled look.

Aided by Laxus, Mira sat up. She was afraid to stand, but he was bringing her up no matter what. She did her best not to teeter as she got her feet beneath her. Pretending was no use; Makarov was no fool.

"Why does it seem that every time you two get together you always get into trouble?"

"We were—" Mira began but Laxus cut her off.

"It was my fault, sorry, Gramps."

"Give me the liquor," Makarov held out his hand. "You're too young for that stuff, anyway." Though he had been Laxus' very age the first time he had gotten into the spirits.

"I don't have it anymore," Laxus lied. In truth he hid it in their secret spot by the creek to revisit later.

Makarov massaged his forehead. "We'll talk later, Laxus. Mirajane, there was a package that came in for you today."

"For me?" Mira asked confusedly. "What was it?"

"I don't make it my business to go through people's mail," Makarov said. "but it came from Ketnab. You'll have to check for yourself. I locked it up in my office, so you'll have to wait until the morning because I'm not going back down.

"Alright…" Mira agreed. She didn't know why but she felt sick with nerves.

"Get on inside, Mira. Elfman and Lisanna are waiting for you. They were worried when you didn't come back at sundown," Makarov said not unkindly.

Mira's stomach sank. She didn't think about how Lisanna and Elfman would worry. "Okay," she agreed and moved past Makarov. She shot a look over her shoulder at Laxus and smiled. He gave her a half-smile back but it didn't reach his eyes. Mira closed the door gently behind her and retreated to her room.

* * *

"What were you thinking getting that Strauss girl drunk, Laxus?" Makarov glowered at his grandson.

Laxus shifted from foot to foot, the pine needles on the balcony crunching beneath his boots. He did everything in his power to avoid his grandfather's eyes, not much liking the accusing look there. "We were just messing around," he said finally.

Makarov paled. "Do you remember that talk we had?"

"Not messing around like _that_ ," Laxus corrected, though he had thought about _that_ an awful lot sitting next to her. In the six months he had been gone she had changed. Or maybe he had. He wasn't sure.

Makarov tapped his foot impatiently. "Whatever you kids were doing, I don't want to know, just as long as you don't forget that conversation we had." He cleared his throat. "I can't believe you wouldn't even come in to say hello to your grandfather. Do you fancy yourself a man now? Too old to drop off a letter even? It's been six months, Laxus. Do you think it was easy for me to let you go off on your own? The least you could do was write! Even grown men write the people they left behind."

Laxus had begun to write his grandfather many times but then the guilt would twist in his chest and he would throw the letter in the garbage. Being with his father these last six months had felt like the ultimate betrayal, though he could say one thing: his dad sure didn't lecture him like Gramps did, at least not about this stuff. As soon as Laxus turned sixteen, his father didn't care if he stayed out late or did stuff with the few girls he had chummed around with; he didn't even care if Laxus got a little sloppy with alcohol, just as long as he showed up for training the next morning.

"Whatever," Laxus looked away from Makarov's accusatory and hurt expression.

"Whatever? Don't 'whatever' me, Laxus. You're still living here under my roof, show me some respect."

Laxus crossed his arms over his chest and finally looked Makarov in the eye. "I don't know what you want. I'm not a baby; I don't have to check in with you every day. I was fine, wasn't I? So lay off."

Makarov steamed. "Starting tomorrow, things are going to change, Laxus. No more running around and goofing off. I won't have you sneaking around and drinking behind my back and dragging that Strauss girl down with you. She has enough problems of her own."

Laxus looked at his grandfather, feeling mildly outraged. "You're not my father."

"No, if I were your father, I'd have sliced and diced you and tried an incredibly dangerous kind of magic on you and not cared if it put your life in danger. If I were your father, I'd be hiding right now instead of raising my son. If I were your father, we wouldn't be having this argument because I wouldn't care, Laxus." More quietly he added, "I don't say these things to be a tyrant. I just want you to grow up right."

Laxus stopped listening after the first sentence. "My father just wanted me to be strong. He did what he did because he cared, and if you can't see that, then it's your own fault." The words flowed easily out of his mouth because he had heard his father say that exact same thing to him nearly every day for the last six months. Ivan fell back on those words when Laxus was so tired he thought that he couldn't go on any longer, when his magic would run wild and level the forest around them, when it backlashed on him so badly it nearly stopped his heart. It had been a hard six months, but Laxus was stronger for it, and for that he owed his father.

"Don't be a fool, boy. No one who could put their own flesh and blood in danger like that is worthy of the title father. I am embarrassed that he is my son. I'm determined to do better by you," Makarov said with a hint of resignation and shame.

"I've heard enough. Spare me your lectures, Gramps," Laxus shoved by the old man, nearly sending him sprawling against the balcony. He felt immediately terrible for it but didn't stop as he ripped open the guild hall door and stormed inside. He couldn't. His mind was at brutal war with itself. Part of him knew that Gramps was right, but the other part, the part that wanted his father to be a good father and wanted to be a good son, viciously defended the man.

 _Dad knew it was safe,_ he told himself. _He wouldn't have let me do it if he really thought otherwise,_ but a secret part of him wondered if that were really true. Sometimes, it seemed like the most important things to his dad were power and strength. It was confusing, what with Gramps denying the importance of those attributes at every turn.

Beside his, Mira's bedroom door was closed. He thought about going to hang out with her again, but then remembered that she had Lisanna and Elfman in there. He could do without them at the moment.

His room looked exactly the same as it had when he left, the bed made, his closet door open, the bathroom door closed. Inside his dresser was his old pipe, and beside that, a stolen copy of Sorcerer Weekly that premiered Blue Pegasus' up-and-coming busty bombshell, Tirana Heart. The picture they'd pasted of the blonde was hardly decent. A wet white bikini, spread legs, red-lipped smile and a saucy glint in her eye. That picture had occupied more of his R rated day dreams than any other.

Even bringing the picture out and looking at it wasn't enough to really quiet his thoughts, though, they kept drifting back to catching Mira and that douche together. Was he really going to try to force himself on her? And how far would _she_ have taken it if he, Laxus, hadn't intervened?

When those thoughts exhausted themselves with no clear answer in sight, he started thinking about his dad and his grandfather. They'd been silent toward each other since Gramps came to pick him up from Raven Tail, but that didn't stop his father from raving about the old man every chance he got. ' _Don't be like that old fool, Laxus_.' _'I do what I do to make you stronger._ ' ' _You and me. We're family, not you and Makarov. I take the chances that Makarov is too scared to take, sure, but it's_ because _I care about you.'_ It was never ending.

Groaning, he threw himself down on his sheets. They were musty, but still smelling like laundry detergent. He closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to come.

* * *

Drinking alcohol was fun, Mira decided, until the next morning came. Laying in bed, listening to Lisanna rustle about steps away (Mira had insisted a few weeks ago that she and Elfman tried to sleep by themselves with the understanding that if they had nightmares they could come back to sleep with her—so far, so good,) she prayed that the girl would go back to sleep. Of course she did not. No. She threw her covers off and yanked back the thick curtains blocking out the cursed sunlight.

Mira groaned and ducked her head under her pillow. "Close the curtains."

"No," Lisanna said. "It's time to wake up. You've been sleeping _forever_." And by that, she meant she'd been waiting for twenty minutes for her sister to get out of bed.

Elfman sat up, awake as well. As soon as he saw Mira cowering beneath her pillow, the urge took him. He raced to her bed and flopped down over her legs, digging his fingers in her kneecaps to entice a laugh from his grumpy sister.

Mira squawked, the sound too loud in her sensitive ears, and tried to dislodge her brother. Elfman had gotten stronger, though, and held her legs tightly together. Lisanna's laughter chimed through the room. Soon she joined Elfman, working her fingers between Mira's ribs, tickling the girl until she was laughing so much she was crying.

"Stop it!" Mira sobbed. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or throw up. Banging on the wall quieted her outrage.

"Shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep!" Laxus yelled through the wall.

"Ohhh! Your boyfriend is home, Mira!" Lisanna said too loudly.

Humiliated, Mira grabbed Lisanna around the waist and pulled the girl under the covers. Lastly, she crammed her hand over Lisanna's open, laughing mouth. "Be quiet, Lisanna!"

Lisanna wriggled out of her sister's grasp. "I'll only be quiet if you promise to take us to the gardens today!"

"I have to work," Mira said pleadingly.

"We're going to the gardens?" Elfman piped up from Mira's feet.

Mira tossed the blanket off her head and looked at her brother. His hair stuck up wildly and his eyes were hopeful. "I. Have. To. Work," she said slowly.

"Not all day you don't! You get off at four!" Lisanna insisted. "Please Mira! Please! We haven't spent any time together all week! We miss you."

It was the last bit that tugged at Mira's heartstrings. "Fine. But I don't have any money, so we can't get anything. We can only go look at the flowers."

"Alright!" Lisanna agreed.

"And the fish?" Elfman whittled.

"Fine, and the fish," Mira said with resignation. Then she remembered the package Makarov held for her. "I have to meet with Master Makarov first."

"It's not going to take long, is it?" Elfman asked.

Mira shrugged; she honestly didn't know. "I don't think so." She looked at the outside world. It was later than usual. Nine thirty, if she had to guess. Which meant that she had to start work really soon. Ten for the late breakfast rush. She'd work through lunch, and get off just before dinner. "I gotta get ready for work, guys." Imagining working in the bar that perpetually smelled like beer made her stomach turn, but after her crappy interview yesterday and no end in sight, this was what she had, and she'd be damned if she messed it up. "What are you planning on doing today?"

"I'm going fishing with Natsu," Lisanna answered. "You can come, Elfman, if you want."

Elfman shrugged. "Macao said he'd show me some more fighting moves today."

"You're really getting into that, huh?" Mira asked with a smile.

Elfman blushed. "One day, I'm going to be a man and men aren't manly unless they can fight."

Mira scrunched her nose up. "Whatever you say. If it makes you happy and keeps you busy and you're not bothering Macao too much, I don't care what you do. Just be ready to go to the gardens by four thirty."

* * *

There was no time to visit Makarov before her shift. Mira donned her customary apron over her short shorts and tank top and pulled her hair high into a pony tail, then went at it. Cana was sitting at the bar, trying to convince Wakaba that he should share his beer with her. Next to her, Erza stared on absently. Mira felt first a pang of jealousy, then shame. _Dyke_. She didn't need a dictionary to figure out what it meant. She poured herself into her work, ignoring last night's question of, _'Do you like girls?'_

Some time around twelve, Laxus came down to sit in his usual corner of the guild. He didn't say anything to her— she wasn't surprised, he never did—but Mira felt him watching her as she worked. The first thirty minutes it went on, she wondered if she should feel embarrassed about how she'd acted yesterday, but he'd said some stupid stuff, too. _Besides,_ she thought, _I had fun_. And so did he; she knew it.

People came and went, some new customers, some regulars. Some dared to sit at Laxus' booth. Most kept a wide berth. The only time he flagged Mira down was to order a plate of french fries. He only ate half; she had to assume he felt as badly as she did that day.

When four o'clock finally rolled around, she rushed to the Employee's Only room, stripped out of her filthy apron and washed her face. Next, she shook out her hair and stripped out of her work clothes, hopping instead into a short pleated skirt and a white tank top with a rotting rose stenciled on the front.

A quick look in the mirror revealed hair that had a slight crease in it from her hair tie. Deeming it a lost cause, she left it as it was, then came back out into the guild, more than ready to quell her curious thoughts.

Laxus was still where she'd left him. His eyes followed her all the way to Master Makarov's office. She didn't know how to take that stare, so she did her best to dismiss it. Raising her fist, she knocked briskly on Makarov's oaken door.

"Come," came his raspy voice.

Mira pushed open the door hesitantly. She made it a goal to spend as little time as possible in Makarov's office.

The man sat behind his desk, a tobacco pipe in one hand, a coffee in the other. "Ah, Mirajane." He leaned over and rooted through the bottom drawer of his desk. He arose a second later with a fat envelope in hand. "Here you go."

Mira took it from him. It was heavier than she expected, the paper thick and tough to support the internal weight. The only return address stamped on the front was Ketnab. Vague, at best, though her name and Fairy Tail's address was scrawled carefully across the surface. Makarov looked at her expectantly. "What?" Mira asked.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

She didn't know if she _could,_ afraid of what she'd find inside. "Um…"

Makarov read her clearly enough. "Of course, there isn't any rush. Open it when you're ready, Mirajane."

She blew out a sigh of relief. "Excuse me." Tucking the letter beneath her arm, she abandoned his office and scurried to her room, dodging people as she went. No one tried to stop her, not Lisanna, who was talking to Natsu, not Elfman, who wasn't anywhere to be seen, and not Laxus, who pretended like he didn't watch her mount the stairs.

Inside her room with the door closed, Mira leaned against the solid wood barrier and looked down at the package, waffling. Open it, or stuff it beneath her pillow? What good was it to hide, though? _What if it's from the church?_ On the other hand, what if it wasn't? _What if it's from Mom and Dad?_ It was a ludicrous and childish thought. She _knew_ her parents were dead, but wouldn't it be nice if Gods did exist, if angels and spirits were real, and her parents could reach her _through_ the afterlife?

She had the envelope open before she could think twice about it.

Turning it upside down, she shook out a pearl and opal necklace, fitted with a silver chain. A note fell out next, fluttering to the floor. When she could look away from the familiar necklace, she bent and picked it up, studying the looping handwriting.

 _Mirajane,_ it read.

 _It's my understanding that you've become of interest to certain groups that hold a grudge against your family. This necklace was your mother's. It will alert the wearer to demons in the area. Wear it to protect yourself and your siblings from those your father hunted._

 _-A friend._

She stared at the text incredulously. _From the ones your father hunted._

 _Rikan the Hunter._

She felt like she'd been punched in the chest. There wasn't enough air. _It's just a stupid note, it doesn't mean it's true._ Yet… she thought so. Laxus had been wrong, it wasn't the demon that was the liar, but her father. Toy maker. Her father's betrayal cut so deeply, she couldn't focus on it, not just then.

Instead, she studied the end of the letter. - _A friend._ She didn't like the idea of a secret someone sending her things. Why not add their name to the bottom of the note? _Maybe they didn't want to be found_. And if they didn't want to be found, could they be trusted? There was one thing she knew for certain—the jewellery _had_ been her mothers. She knew that opal and pearl-encrusted chain anywhere. It was charred as if it had suffered through the fire. Maybe she was wearing it the night she died, for all the good it did her. Mira's fingers burned; her head swam with the memory.

 _Put it down,_ she thought viciously. _And hide it_. She didn't _want_ to look at it any more. Moving jerkily, she tucked the necklace between her mattress. Even with it out of sight, she felt manic.

* * *

Laxus found her a short time later, sitting at the creek with her knees tucked against her chest, despite the fact that she wore a skirt. He sabotaged his quiet approach, not wanting to startle her. It didn't matter, Mira was so deep in thought, she still jumped when she heard the twig snap. Turning, she saw that it was just him and let the tension ease from her shoulders. She picked up a rock and threw it into the water. It splashed and was swallowed into the depths of the river.

"Hey." Laxus sat beside her, shimmying close enough that their shoulders were bumping.

"Hey," Mira said in a deadpan voice.

"Lisanna and Elfman were looking for you."

Mira closed her eyes. "Yeah."

"Gramps took them to the gardens instead."

She grunted noncommittally.

"You opened that letter?"

"Mmhm." She found another rock and made it soar.

"What was in it?"

"A necklace."

It was like pulling teeth. He nearly stopped, thinking she didn't want to be bothered, but there was a look to her, like she was on the verge of spilling. "Is that all?"

"And a letter."

He bit back his annoyance. "Saying?"

She stared at the water, wondering if she should tell him to go away or not. In the end, she decided he was probably the only one she could ever talk to about it. Cana wouldn't understand—her mom was dead and she was looking for her father. Erza was just… no. Lisanna and Elfman had enough to worry about without their sister melting on them. She gathered breath and spilled the entire contents of the letter.

Laxus took the news like he took everything: with a stoic and uncaring expression. "So your old man is a demon hunter, huh?"

"Was," Mira corrected. "And look where it got him? He's dead." She realized that she was viciously angry with her father, for the lies, for the risks he took. "We all almost died. And for what?"

Laxus bit his lip and nodded. "Both of our families are kinda fucked up, eh? Gramps and Dad hate each other."

Mira forced a gust of air from her nose and dragged her fingers over the rough rocks beneath her legs. "Yeah, I guess. At least yours is alive, though."

"I suppose," Laxus agreed. It was annoying, caught in a war between Dad and Gramps, but at least they were there _to_ fight over him.

Mira's sniffling brought him from his own depreciation. She caught him looking and swiped away a big, fat tear. More came. She took those away, too. There was no end in sight. Annoyed, she slapped the rocks beneath her legs.

"What the hell was he thinking, Laxus? Didn't he care about us at all? Why would he think that this was okay? If he knew the risks and knew how much danger his family could be in, why did he bother? Didn't he love us?"

Laxus swallowed tightly and put his arm around her waist. "I don't know, Mira," he admitted. "I wish I did."

Mira turned her cheek into his sleeve and stayed that way for a long time, crying until she couldn't anymore, until her tears dried and she slipped off into an exhausted sleep right there beside the river.

* * *

Before Mira even opened her eyes, she knew she was in for a world of regret. Uncomfortable and covered in dew, she was chilled to the bone. At first she was confused, then his smell came to her. Pine. Laundry detergent. Deodorant that could probably be freshened up. She hadn't ever been this close to Laxus before, but she knew for a fact that was his body next to hers. Her heart started pumping faster than necessary.

" _Mira!"_ A familiar voice rang through the forest. The girl forced her eyes open. The first thing she saw was Laxus' chest rising and falling steadily. Then the green and orange world around him as autumn crept in, the leaves awash in early morning sunlight.

" _Mirajane!"_

Everything sort of clicked into focus. They'd stayed out there all night.

"Shit," Mira cursed. "Damn. Laxus, wake up." She nudged his arm hard.

He opened sleepy eyes. "Huh?"

" _Laxus_!" That was Master Makarov.

Laxus blinked, coming alert. "Crap."

"Damnit." Mira sat up straighter. Every muscle protested. "Do you think we can sneak back and get inside before they notice?"

"I'm going to say no, that won't be possible." The trees behind them shifted and Macao came into view, his lips twisted up in a half smile. "Way to go, Laxus. You're finally a man, huh?"

"Get out of here!" Laxus snapped. "Before you lead Gramps to us."

"Too late for that, boy. Both of you, back to the guild hall right this instant." Makarov appeared out of the forest, still small but with the air of a much bigger man. When neither one of them moved, he snapped, " _Now_." His face was as red as a tomato, his mustache bristling out like a porcupine.

Laxus was the first to his feet, pulling Mira up behind him.

* * *

Mira thought Makarov would allow her to go to her room so she could shower and change before she received a lecture she really didn't want, but he demanded that she enter his office first. Laxus came in behind her and dropped himself down in the one chair while Mira stood against the wall overladen with family photos and shivered miserably.

Makarov slammed the door loud enough that everyone winced, himself included. Then he began to pace. "What were you thinking, staying out all night?"

"Just lost track of time," Laxus said with an air of indifference Mira wished she could copy. "What's the big deal?"

Makarov's face got redder, if that were possible. "Your brother and sister were targeted yesterday, Mirajane. At the gardens."

Mira's world slowed. "Targeted?"

"By a demon," Makarov confirmed. "It came out of the koi pond and tried to drag Lisanna in. One of the king's guards shot it dead."

Mira's mouth felt as dry as chalk. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Makarov said. "Shaken, though. Even more so when her big sister didn't come home last night."

Mira couldn't bring herself to respond.

"You're forbidden to leave the guild hall for any reason," Makarov said after a long moment of silence.

"What?" Laxus finally looked back at his grandfather. "I _have_ to leave." His father would be expecting him back soon. If he didn't show up, he was afraid Ivan would come to Fairy Tail looking for him. And then what? More fighting. And the potential for Gramps to find out that he'd lied about his whereabouts. And the lacrima. "I was only coming back for a few days—"

Makarov crossed his arms resolutely over his chest. "What's so pressing, Laxus, that can't wait until we decide if this was a one-off attack, or something related to Ketnab?"

Laxus bit his lip and looked away. "Nothing," he muttered.

"That's what I thought. Mira, I don't want you to worry about this. We'll figure everything out shortly. Gildarts is on his way home to help with the investigation."

* * *

A/N: Okay. it's actually sort of embarrassing how bad this was. Thank god for girls. No. Well, yeah, but thank god for re-writes.

Gather in, loverlies. I have a secret.

I have a pseudonym. It's SleeplessComplication. It is where I'll be posting my one-shots from now on. If you like my work and would enjoy reading more one-shots (Because you're not busy enough reading this shit, right?) go ahead and favorite me. Or follow me. Whatever it is you do.

Ta-ta!


	6. Chapter 6

Though it was early, both Lisanna and Elfman were awake when Mira opened their bedroom. Lisanna sat up on her bed, toes in hand, her body sheathed in a fleecy pink nightgown stenciled with kittens, while Elfman was fully dressed and pulling on his boots, a determined look in his eye.

"What do you think you're doing?" were the first words Mira bothered to say.

Elfman dropped the laces and looked up, startled as if he hadn't heard the door open. "Mira! I—I was coming to look for you."

 _'Targeted.'_ Her heart lurched. "Why would you do something stupid like that?"

The boy held his ground, unflinching beneath Mira's scowl. "You didn't come home last night. We were scared that the demon got you, too."

"Master Makarov told him not to go," Lisanna said. that tattling look in her eye. "I said so too, but he wouldn't listen."

Mira's fear and helplessness took its form in anger. "Master Makarov told you to stay in the guild, Elfman, and he was right. Who cares if I didn't come back or not? That's not a good reason to go wandering around."

Elfman first made sure to glower thoroughly at Lisanna, miffed, then turned the dark look on Mira, something he wouldn't have dared if he wasn't scared. That look was far too mature for a boy going on nine, yet there he was, wearing it. "We care if you don't come home, Mira."

 _Because Mom and Dad can't,_ is what he didn't say. _Some_ of Mira's iron cracked. "I can take care of myself, guys. Promise me that you won't wander off again, okay? Even if anything really happened, I wouldn't want you out there, taking risks."

Lisanna spoke. "Who would take care of us if you went away?"

"Makarov of course," Mira said, "And you'd have each other."

Lisanna was on the precipice of tears. "I don't want you to go. I don't want to be alone here without you. I don't want—"

"I'm not going anywhere," Mira said exasperatedly. "I was just _saying_ —"

She wasn't listening. "The demon's gonna come and take you away, and then me and Elfman, just like Mom and Dad, and—"

Mira was across the room before she realized she was moving. She gathered Lisanna into her arms and crushed the small girl to her chest. "Sh. No demon is going to take you away. I'll protect you." Except, it didn't feel like she could protect anyone. She could just burn, a demon herself, and watch her family go up in smoke.

* * *

As tired as she was, Mira showered and dressed and descended the stairs into the guild hall, ready for work. Makarov sat at the bar, a tall glass of beer in hand. He looked at Mira from beneath a bushy brow.

"I think it's best if you take the day off, Mirajane."

Mira stalled in pushing through the barrier to get behind the bar. "What?"

He nodded. "Penny said she could handle today by herself."

Mira turned her gaze to where Penny topped up a starry-eyed Wakaba's drink. She flirted with him shamelessly, curling her long blonde hair around her finger and batting her eyes. To get tips, Mira understood. She tucked the technique into her pocket to try when Makarov finally let her serve alcohol. He kept promising soon so she could make some more money—drinkers always tipped more—but he hadn't buckled just yet.

"What about clearing the tables?" Mira asked, thinking of her diminishing cash.

"Penny has got it."

"And serving the food?"

Makarov raised his brow. "I'm sure she can handle it."

"What about—"

"Mira. Take the goddamn day when I tell you to," Makarov said sharply.

Mira startled back but recovered quickly. "I need money; I can't just _not_ work. Why are you taking my shift away?"

"Because he's scared." Laxus sidled up beside her, a disgruntled look on his face. "He won't let you work 'cause he's afraid someone's gonna see you and tell some demons where to find you, and he won't let me leave Fairy Tail because he's afraid they're hanging around, looking for weaklings to pick off. Right, Gramps?"

Makarov's gaze darkened. "I only want to give Mira some time to process. And, no one said you were weak, Laxus."

"Really? Then I guess I'll just pack up my things and take off."

Mira could _feel_ the infuriation leaching off Laxus. He'd never been agitated like this before; not around her anyway. The feeling his anger left behind was like a drop of sweet on her tongue, and fear in her veins.

Makarov was not as impressed. "I will only say this once: no. If you try to leave this guild against my orders, there will be consequences, Laxus."

There was a _hint_ of uncertainty in Laxus' eyes. He turned on his heel and stalked away before that feeling could manifest itself and reveal a part of him he very much wanted to keep hidden from the prying eyes of the rest of Fairy Tail.

Mira spared Makarov one last scathing look before she followed after him, scurrying, feeling like a ferret. Laxus was much faster than she was, his legs longer, and his exit was much more impressive.

* * *

Laxus knew Mira followed him, fighting to catch up. It didn't stop him from taking the steps three at a time. His legs handled the task mostly with ease, his toe only getting caught once on one of the stair's risers. Thankfully, he didn't trip and fall like an idiot.

On the landing, he went right, toward both his room and the balcony. He stopped at the former first, pushing open the door without much care that Mira got to see inside. There wasn't too much to see anyway, it was pretty bare-bones. A dark green wool blanket on his single bed, a dresser that was dusty from all the months it sat unused, and a washroom with a sock trail leading inside. The most adornment he had were the few Sorcerer Weekly models, nicked from Macao's magazine when he had no money to buy his own, and pegged onto the ceiling for decoration. Oh, and the ones on the walls, too. Most of them were women with full breasts and fuller hips, girls with enough hair to caress their skin while they posed in mock-up positions meant to accentuate their bodies.

Leaving Mira by the door, he went to his dresser and snatched out his pipe, and the little bit of Sweet Grass he had left.

"These are the girls you like?" Mira asked, looking at a blonde with the largest breasts and fakest smile she'd ever seen.

Laxus looked over his shoulder and found that he _wasn't_ too pissed off at Gramps to be at least a little bit bashful. "I don't know. I guess."

Mira crossed her arms over her own small breasts and squished up her face.

Just to get a rise out of her and to turn the attention from himself, Laxus asked, "And what girls do you like, Mira?"

Mira got embarrassed first, then mad. Then when she saw the _honest_ curiosity on his face, she went right back to being embarrassed again. "Shut up, Laxus." There was no punch behind her words.

"Come on. Let's go out to the balcony."

Mira nearly refused, if only because she wanted to make a stubborn stand, but she ended up relenting, the walls of the guild hall feeling too confining.

Outside, the fall air was warm, sunshine streaming through a few sparse clouds. Leaves rattled on the trees, sounding like dry bones rubbing together. Laxus took up his customary post, leaning against the wooden railing. Mira went to his side, wondering how close was too close, or how far was too far. She didn't like worrying about stuff like that, not only did it make her head hurt with the additional complication of something that should be easy, but it also birthed a feeling in her chest that she was very quickly addicted to. From beneath her lashes, she watched Laxus pack his pipe with fingers that were more used to the motion than the last time he'd done this. His zippo came out. The lighter's wheel _whicked_ , the grass caught, and he inhaled deeply.

"Did you ask Lisanna about that demon that attacked her?" With every word Laxus spoke, smoke leaked from his mouth, sweet smelling and silver.

Mira propped her elbows on the balcony then dropped her face into her hands. "…Not really. She's pretty scared." She looked at him from behind a lock of hair, contemplating withholding her next words. She had no one else to talk to, though, so she said, "She just kept saying that she was afraid that the demon was going to take me away, then hurt her and Elfman." The problem was, when Lisanna said it, Mira thought she wasn't talking about the demon that attacked her, but the demon that lived in Mira. _Maybe she can see it when she looks at you_.

Laxus said, "They won't be bothered if they stay in Fairy Tail. Not even a demon would be dumb enough to come here."

Mira folded her arms and rested her head against them, stretching out. "You don't think so?"

"No. Especially once Gildarts is here." He said the name with a hint of respect and a touch of jealousy.

"Who is he?" Mira asked. Makarov hadn't really explained.

"Fairy Tail's strongest member," Laxus told her. "He's always taking really long jobs, though, so he's never here."

Instead of the news making Mira feel better, she only felt more dejected. "I wish I could hunt the demons on my own." That way no one would have to do it for her, she'd get the revenge she wanted.

Tentatively, Laxus said, "If you learned magic, I'd help you scare out some demons."

Wouldn't that be nice? Lisanna wouldn't have to be frightened anymore. Ever. She'd always be able to protect her. "I told you, it's just not in the cards."

Laxus took another deep inhale off his pipe, then offered it to her in an effort to distract from her self-depreciation. Mira wavered. She'd never tried Sweet Grass before.

"You gonna take it or what?" Laxus asked when she just stared at it, not saying either way.

Mira stood up straighter. "I want to try, but..."

"You're scared?" He said it with a small smirk. Like he was mocking her. That burned her right to her core.

"I'm not scared, Laxus. Just... what if I react badly to it or something?" Her neck was hot.

"Then you have a bad trip," he said simply. "It'll only last for an hour, at most."

An hour was a long time not to feel great. "I don't know..."

He got considering. "You want me to pass you a toke?"

She didn't know what he meant and said as much.

Maybe being buzzed helped him be brave. "I'll take a hit, inhale it, then breathe it into your mouth. Second-hand."

Mira's skin pricked with the suggestion. Her neck felt even hotter, imagining how close they'd have to be for that.

"It won't be as strong like that," he told her. "Or as harsh."

"...Okay." Mira's heart was going like a war drum, loud and hard. She worried that Laxus could hear the unsteady thumping it produced. He took a drag and leaned in like he'd done it before, many times. Her heart only went harder. Her palms tingled. His mouth hovered centimeters from hers, and then he was exhaling. Mira rushed to bring all of the smoke down. It filled up her lungs fast.

He ran out of smoke. Lifting his eyes to meet hers he said, "Hold it."

She wanted to cough. She made her lungs obey for three long seconds, then she was forced to get some space between she and Laxus so she could blow the smoke out over the balcony. The wind grabbed it up and stole away the evidence of their closeness. Unable to help herself, she coughed hard. Laxus laughed and went back to leaning over the railing.

He didn't offer to pass to her again that day, but that was alright, her head was already spinning, and for more reasons than just the Sweet Grass.

* * *

Most of the day was spent on the balcony, either laying flat on the wooden deck, watching the tops of the orange trees bend in the growing breeze, or sitting slumped, their backs against the railing, their shoulders together. Mira didn't really know _what_ they talked about. Nothing, and everything. Laxus showed her some of the things he could do with his lightning now: create small balls that lifted into the air at his whim, send it skating across the deck without harming anything he didn't want it to. The only time things got out of hand was when he tried to fry one leaf on the maple tree and ended up cracking off a huge branch instead, his magic not quite willing to wholly submit. From his office two stories below, Makarov cursed fluently and loudly. Laxus only smirked, not all that apologetic.

The sun set. Despite not doing much of anything that day, Mira was exhausted. They stayed out for longer still, watching the stars come out, watching people leave the guild, watching the lights flick off one by one.

Eventually, Mira started to fall asleep and she could avoid it no longer. "I gotta go to bed."

Laxus breathed deeply, startled at the sound of her voice. He'd been dosing off, too. "Yeah." It was getting there. He was surprised Gramps hadn't come out to bitch yet. That was fine. More than, actually. He'd take the quiet.

He got himself vertical, his skin cold where Mira had been touching him, then yanked the girl up, too. He held her hand for a beat too long before releasing it. Together, they left the night behind. The guild was empty and dark. Laxus stopped in front of his door.

"It was fun, Strauss. We should do it again." It came out just as he wanted, flippant, offhanded, not too interested, but interested enough.

Mira tamed the smile that tried to claim her mouth. "Yeah, it was alright."

His grin turned toothy, seeing through her lie. "You loved it, shut up." He was gone before she could rebuke his statement, closing the door to his room and blocking her out.

Her stupid grin didn't leave her face as she came into her room. Lisanna and Elfman had fallen asleep in her bed. That didn't diminish it, either. Mira stripped down and dressed again in her nightgown, then fell into bed beside Elfman.

It only took a moment for sleep to find her. Dream came a little bit later. The gardens appeared. She walked toward them, Elfman and Lisanna at her side. The fall flowers bobbed in some non-existent breeze, vibrant until she approached. Then they started to brown and wilt, their heads bowing toward the earth.

" _They're all dead,'_ Lisanna said.

Mira turned her eyes away from the space beneath the flower's stems, where the soil was soaked with red, and the fatty pale piece of flesh the red ran from. It didn't help, she saw Hyda clearly in her mind's eye, lumpy and rotting, fertilizing the ground below.

 _'Let's go this way.'_ Mira took Elfman and Lisanna's hands and led them toward the pond. _'We can look at the fish.'_

' _Yeah!'_ Elfman slipped from her grasp and skipped ahead, oblivious to the dream's crushing weight. Lisanna laughed and wriggled away from Mira as well, rushing to catch up.

' _Wait!'_ Mira called. Neither listened, too focused. She started to run after them.

The sky got dark with gunmetal-grey clouds. The pond's surface started to roil. Lisanna didn't balk in her mission to get to its banks. She fell to her knees beside the churning water and started looking for interesting rocks. It took only seconds for the surface of the pond to explode and for a demon creature to erupt, all reaching tentacles and sharp sclerotized claws. It grabbed Lisanna mercilessly and dug its sharp bits into her belly, drawing out blood.

 _'Lisanna!'_ Mira's voice felt weak, as did her legs. They wouldn't take her fast enough. ' _Lisanna!'_

The youngest Strauss stopped screaming before she ever really started.

Mira felt the coldness in her heart and knew what was coming. There was no stopping the firestorm. It hollowed her out, chewing through every scrap of clothing she wore then biting into her skin, making she and the flames one. The pond dissolved, blocked out by the flickering scarlet and gold.

 _'Don't let the demon get us, Mira,'_ Elfman whispered. He became visible through the flames. The cuffs of his pants were burning, and his skin, too, beginning to blister around his lips and his ears. His hair was half charred.

 _'Please don't hurt us, Mira,'_ Lisanna trilled in. She reappeared, dropped to shore, mostly eviscerated. Where she wasn't bleeding from long cuts, her skin was blacker than pitch, her hair totally burned up. Only her lips were pink as they moved, cracked so she could see the inner flesh.

Elfman spoke again. _'Stop it, Mira. Please.'_

 _'The demon in the pond—'_ Mira started.

Lisanna responded with her cracked lips. ' _It's you. The demon in you wants to hurt us.'_

 _No. No. Please._

There was nothing she could do, a helpless slave to a destructive force of nature while the people she loved screamed and screamed and screamed as they burned alive.

Someone jarred her shoulder hard, helping her slip into consciousness.

"Mira! Mira wake up!"

She fell right back out. Dream Lisanna sobbed in pain. _'Why do you want to hurt us, Mira?'_

 _No,_ Mira thought, for her mouth wouldn't work. _I don't want to. I don't want to be a demon. I don't want to hurt you. Please._

Something hit her face hard. "Mira!"

The fire sheathing her body burned hotter. _Don't touch me._

"Mira, wake up!"

" _Please_!"

The dream's hold slipped. A roar filled her ears, overwhelmingly loud.

"Mira!"

All around came the noise of crackling, popping, _whooshing_ , as all of the air got used in the room. It was a familiar sound. The heat on her skin. _Fire,_ Mira thought, _this is fire. And it's real._ She sucked in a deep breath and got only a lungful of smoke; her eyes finally snapped open.

She might as well have still been asleep; the scene wasn't much different. Dark smoke smothered the room and flames licked the mattress, so hot they seared through the fabric and braised the springs beneath. A slave to her fear, Mira screamed. The nightmare had turned real: everything was burning. Again. Everything was burning again and again and again.

 _And it's my fault._ Confused, she could only sob, caught in the middle of the inferno. Her chest felt heavy with dark magic and her body prickled.

"Mira!" Elfman choked her name. Somehow, she found him in the smoke. It was exactly like the night their parents died. He was leaning against the wall, eyes wide and face pale, except instead of clutching his bleeding eye he was clutching his burned hand to his chest, injured when he tried to make her wake.

Lisanna stood at Elfman's side, Mr. Bee tucked into her chest. Tears ran freely down her face. "Don't hurt us, Mira. Don't." She just kept repeating it over and over again.

Lisanna's fear was a cure for darkness. Mira felt it flee her system. Only, without its protection, she was just a girl sitting on a burning bed, getting charred alive. The pain was inevitable and inescapable. She started to howl for real.

"Mirajane!" Makarov's voice boomed through the door, louder than the flames. She was incapable of responding. The door bowed in, hit with something heavy. Makarov filled the space. He wore red pajamas with little rabbit faces patterned all over the fabric. Faintly, Mira recognized how ludicrous it was to take note of such things when she was literally burning to death.

He swore impressively.

Laxus appeared behind the man, carrying a lacrima spelled with water magic. He threw it into the room. Over the floor it bounced. In the center of the room, it lifted high in the air, then exploded, a gross amount of water going _everywhere_. Mira was thoroughly doused, pushed to the precipice of drowning. The fire smothered.

Finished, the lacrima fell to the ground, useless. In the aftermath, the only sound was the cinder's hissing, giving into the water, until Mira drew in a ragged breath. That one action helped her become unglued. Her feet were beneath her and she was scrabbling from the bed. Her skin was tight and sore, her nightgown not only in tatters but soaked through, sticking to her legs. For all of that, she moved faster than she ever had before, shoving past Makarov and Laxus so hard, she sent Laxus to the ground.

His yell followed her. Maybe he said her name; she couldn't properly hear, her ears still roaring, fear and adrenaline making her blind. Each footfall brought pain all over her body. She needed to _move,_ though, had to get out before she started to burn again and there really was nothing left. At the stairs, a hand closed around her wrist. She grunted and wrenched away. The blisters on her arm popped; it hurt only dully. The first step was beneath her feet when her attacker regrouped and came at her again, hitting her hard. They fell to the ground, her ankle twisting badly. She didn't make a sound to commemorate its sacrifice. She regrouped and crawled. Her body was starting to smoulder again; the feeling was back in her chest. _Gods. Please._ Fairy Tail was going to be no more by the time she was done with it.

Hands closed on her calf. Something hot shot through her body. After that, none of her muscles obeyed, dancing and jerking in ways she didn't ask for. She started to scream, in frustration, in terror. The demon inside was coming. Again and again. _Gods._

"Mira!" Arms wrapped around her chest, bringing her back up onto the landing. Legs cinched around her waist next, so when she thrashed, she had nowhere to go. "Calm down!"

Fire kissed her fingertips. Very vividly, Mira imagined Laxus burning alive, skin black and charred like Dream-Lisanna's had been. _Gods. Gods._ "Let go! Let go of me!"

He only tightened his hold. "Stop it!"

Two feet sheathed in black slippers came to rest inches before Mira's nose. "You will stop this now, Mirajane. Breathe deeply and calmly and the fire will go away."

"I can't, I—" She hiccoughed and moaned. It was coming. "Please—"

"Breathe."

She only hyperventilated, staring at the scarred wood floor as it began to turn black beneath the heat of her body.

Despite the heat, Makarov dropped to his knees and grabbed her chin in his hand, forcing her to lift her gaze. "Look at me."

"I—let me go—"

"Look at me, girl." His voice was full of command.

Mira met his steady grey eyes. He didn't look scared. At least, not _of_ her. " _Breathe._ In and out." He sucked in a breath to demonstrate. "Follow me now and the fire will go away."

Wanting to believe him, Mira tried to do as she was told. Her lungs were tight enough that it was uncomfortable.

"Good. Again."

She mimicked him.

"Make your muscles relax. You're safe. Another breath. Good. Good. Keep doing it."

The heat receded. In its wake, Mira only felt cold.

"Release her Laxus," Makarov commanded after a moment.

Laxus hesitated to obey, feeling Mira's muscles tensing, as if she thought about running again. But then she let out a shaking breath and all the fight fled her system, leaving her a sobbing mess. The sound of her lament sent shivers up his spine, so pure was her grief. He swallowed tightly, not locking his arms around her any longer, but not moving from being half-trapped beneath her.

"Mirajane?" That was Elfman. The boy came up to kneel before Mira. "It's okay, Mira. No one's hurt." He reached out and tucked his smaller hand into hers. Mira looked at their intertwined fingers numbly. He lied; his hand was as blistered as hers.

Mira lifted her gaze and found Lisanna just behind Elfman. As soon as Lisanna saw she was being studied, she took a tentative step toward Mira. The first was the hardest. Unglued now, she came over the rest of the way and fell to her knees beside Elfman. So carefully, she reached out with a shaking hand and pushed Mira's charred and sweaty hair back from her forehead.

"Everything's alright, Mira," Lisanna assured. She still sounded uncertain, scared of the demon that lurked inside Mira, even if she didn't _want_ to be.

Makarov said, "Can you stand, Mira?"

"Gramps—" Laxus protested.

"Shush, Laxus." He looked at Mira again. "If you can, you need to stand so we can take care of your wounds."

Now that she had stopped trying to run, she didn't have any energy left, she felt worn thin and used up, burned out and vacant. She thought she should feel something other than hollowness inside. Maybe that was just part of her curse. "I don't want to."

"You're burned badly."

"I don't care."

"She still has some of Miss Porlyusica's salve, if it didn't burn," Lisanna whispered. "I'll go get it."

"Thank you, Lisanna," Makarov said. He turned his attention to Mira while Lisanna hurried to find the medicine in the charred out room. "Has this happened to you before?"

Mira only went back to staring at the floor. She could see her handprint by the nightlight stuck into the wall.

"Two other times Mira was covered in fire," Elfman supplied. "When the demon first attacked us at our house, and then at Miss Yunica's."

Laxus sighed. "Three other times. Just the other day when she was fighting with some asshole… I had to shock her to get her to stop." He trailed off, seeing the horrified expression on Mira's face. It was good to see she wasn't just a total blank slate. There was something that wasn't numbed inside of her.

Makarov scrubbed his face. "Hm."

Mira's tears returned, slower this time. "I'm a demon, aren't I?"

"No, Mirajane. I don't believe that," Makarov said. "I think that's magic you have there. I just don't know what kind."

The tears came faster. Lisanna appeared with the salve. She got down beside Elfman again and started to apply it to Mira's arms, her movements surer than they were before. She'd banished her fear somewhere. Mira let it happen. It hurt as it went on, but then the skin cooled, and the tightness faded.

Makarov said, "I'll do some digging around, but you need to accept this for what it is. You need to start learning how to control your magic, Mirajane, otherwise it will control you. We'll begin training in the morning. I'll teach you personally."

"How can I train when I don't know what kind of magic it is?" If it were in fact as he said. She wasn't sold.

"All magical discipline begins the same. Help her up, Laxus."

Laxus finally untangled himself and stood, bringing Mira up with him. She teetered on her feet, her ankle twanging badly, so he steadied her. "You want a shirt to wear?"

Mira glanced down and took in her torn and burned nightgown. She was too numb to be embarrassed. "Yes."

"You can use my washroom," Laxus offered. "If—you know. Lisanna wants to help you with the cream. And I think I have something to wrap up your ankle with."

Lisanna stood and followed them wordlessly.

"Bring those sleeping bags out of your room, Laxus," Makarov called. "We'll camp out in my office tonight and fix this in the morning."

"What if the fire comes again?" It hurt too much to look over her shoulder, so Mira asked the wall.

"We'll be here to set it right," Makarov assured in that comforting way he had.

Laxus went into his room first and started looking for a shirt long enough. He found one in the second drawer he rooted through, a navy blue one that would fall to Mira's knees. He tried to hand it to Mira; she wouldn't take it, so Lisanna did, then led her into the washroom.

Mira hesitated. "What if—"

"I'm going to stay out here, Mira," Laxus said. There would be no more burning tonight.

Lisanna squeezed her fingers and mostly closed the door. She started taking care of her, pretending that she was much older than she was. Mira let her, mostly because Lisanna wasn't scared of her when they were like this.

* * *

Mira woke early the next morning. Master Makarov's sleeping bag was empty, though everyone else still slept soundly. Moving slowly, partly because of her wounds and partly to maintain quietness, Mira eased out of her sleeping bag, out of the office. The guild was empty. She counted that as a blessing as she mounted the stairs.

She was afraid of going into her bedroom, seeing the damage she'd done, but she wanted to see if any of her clothes survived—not likely—and she wanted to get her mother's necklace. Hopefully, the mattress saved it from the fire.

The door was open. Peaking inside, she found Makarov in the center of the burned out room, looking at all the damage. He lifted his gaze when he noticed her. "Morning."

Mira twisted her fingers together. It hurt still. Porlyusica's salve was good, but it wasn't a miracle cream. "I'm sorry, Master."

He waved her off. "Accidents happen. Now we're getting to the source of things. You'll learn to control this Mirajane, and this won't happen again."

She felt more tears but refused to let them come. "I wanted clothes—"

"Everything is ruined. You'll have to borrow some from Erza or Cana until you can go purchase more."

There was no way she was asking Erza, so Cana it was. She still hadn't really talked to her after that day, but there was nothing like 'I burned all of my clothes, can I borrow yours' to break the ice.

"I contacted Porlyusica. She's on her way over here," Makarov said. "And so you're not surprised... I've asked her with her help in this matter. She's studied a great deal of magical ailments; she should be able to offer some insight."

Mira was mostly embarrassed. She weathered it, keeping her back straight and her chin high. "You really think it's magic?"

She'd already asked, but she wanted to hear it again.

"Yes, Mira."

"Because, the demon that killed our parents had the same power." It felt poisonous to admit that. Like she was making herself out to be the She-Devil she'd been accused of being for so many months.

Makarov puffed out his mustache. "I'll think on it, Mirajane, and talk with Porlyusica. Find some clothes and meet me in my office before we begin training. Porlyusica should be here by then."

"Alright." Before she left, Mira reached between the mattress. The necklace was there, cool beneath her fingers. She pulled it out and was relieved to see it was untouched. Not knowing what to do with it, she draped it around her neck. It hung between her breasts. She tucked it into Laxus' shirt so she didn't have to look at it anymore.

* * *

Cana had just rolled out of bed when Mira knocked on her door. She answered wearing a spaghetti strap tank and a pair of shorts, dark hair pulled into a high ponytail. She blinked bleary eyes at Mira, looking slightly grumpy.

"What's up?"

Mira prepared herself for the worse reaction possible and spilled her story. Every bit. There wasn't going to be any hiding after this, anyway.

Cana was steadfast, meeting Mira's eyes the whole way through the tale, and only raising her brows slightly to show any sort of surprise.

"Maybe I have something," she said when it was all through. "You probably won't fit in my pants, but..." She went to the closet and pulled out a simple long-sleeved dress. It would have fallen to Cana's knees. Mira was taller, so it came up a few more inches.

"Thanks." Mira tried not to feel bashful as she stripped off Laxus' shirt and tugged Cana's clothes in place, but she was aware of Cana watching her. She attempted to move quickly.

Cana's cool fingers landed on Mira's spine, halting her progress. "Holy. You got burned pretty bad, eh?" She let her fingers slide away, leaving tingles in their wake.

Tangled sensation was a new thing for Mira. How could she like being touched but hate it just as much? _Dyke._ She rejected Nathan's hate-filled word and properly placed the root of her hesitance. The burns. Physical proof of her monstrousness.

"I almost killed them." She said it blandly, but her heart was wrenching.

Cana met her eyes. There was no fear there, or pity, really. "You'll learn how to control it and you'll get better."

Mira liked Cana a little better after that. Not that it helped with her confusion.

* * *

Porlyusica was in fact waiting when Mira returned to the guild hall. She looked as sour as ever. Maybe more so. She didn't say much, though, as she took Mira into Makarov's office, kicked him out, then demanded to see her burns. She offered Mira an even stronger salve when she was through, applying it for the girl on the places that she couldn't reach. She fixed Mira's ankle wrap next. The extent of the woman's kindness was known when she brought out a pair of scissors and trimmed the ends of Mira's burned hair. It was shorter than it'd ever been before, coming up to just below her shoulder blades now.

As she worked, Porlyusica said, "Tell me what happened, Mira. And spare no details."

"Everything?" Mira asked.

"From the moment you first discovered this power," the woman clarified.

For the second time that day, Mira launched into the tale, covering everything she could.

"Makarov says this demon had the same power," Porlyusica prodded.

"I don't know," Mira said. "Maybe. It was him that burned down the house, not me." Or at least, it wasn't _all_ her.

Porlyusica's brows came together thoughtfully. "Did you touch the beast?"

"I… Maybe." _Yes._ she didn't want to admit it, just in case Porlyusica was about to tell her that Makarov was wrong and she was cursed after all.

"Interesting. I'll do some research, but this sounds very much like a takeover to me."

"Takeover?" Mira repeated.

"Some mages can copy the form and abilities of certain creatures for a short amount of time. I've seen animal souls, one fool brave enough to try a dragon, beast souls… Never a demon, though." Some of her harshness fell away for interest. "Yes. I'll do some research and see what Makarov thinks." She brushed her hands off. "Get dressed. Apply that salve every day until you heal, Mirajane, or you'll scar."

Mira pulled Cana's dress back down around her body. "Thanks." It came out much more gracious than she'd planned. So much for trying to be snarky.

Porlyusica nodded. "Now quit setting flame to things. Yourself, mostly."

Suddenly the graciousness was gone. Mira stood and left without another word.

* * *

Four days in, Mira recognized that training was _boring_. Mostly it was meditation, figuring out where the magic came from, how to recognize it, and how to begin to call it. Makarov hadn't let Mira summon it fully yet. He was waiting for Porlyusica to return. She'd buried herself in her many tomes, trying to find a connection that Mira wasn't sure was there.

They slept in Master Makarov's office, all five of them. Laxus griped, wanting to go back to his room, but he never complained _that_ hard. Mira's days started early. She meditated with Makarov outside in the chilling air for three hours before breakfast, then they'd break so he could attend to his other duties. He worked tirelessly when Mira was so exhausted, she could fall asleep with her legs crossed when she was supposed to be concentrating.

"Are you _sure_ it's—"

"For the final time," Makarov interrupted before she could get too far, " _Yes_ , Mirajane. I'm sure it's magic and not a demonic force possessing you. Work harder."

His eyes were closed, so he didn't get the full effect of her middle finger, but Mira felt satisfied anyway.

On the fifth day, Porlyusica returned, finding them in the outdoor area. She too looked extra tired and extra irritated.

"What did you find?" Makarov asked without opening his eyes.

"It's more so what I haven't," Porlyusica said. "There is nothing to suggest that a demon soul takeover is an impossibility. There just isn't any documentation of it."

"It's not that surprising," Makarov said. "It seems like the kind of talent that many would want to keep secret."

"Indeed," Porlyusica agreed.

"Thank you for your help, Porlyusica." Makarov's eyes came open. Mira was already shirking her meditation in favour of looking around the late fall morning. The outer arena was quiet, everyone inside enjoying coffee or hot chocolate. There was a chill on the air. Winter was coming.

"Perhaps the only way we can confirm is if we call the soul," Makarov said. "Donning it will give it no place to hide. Go ahead, Mira. Just like we talked about. Close your eyes, imagine the magic as a thread, and tug it up, make it come into the open."

Mira's stomach twisted. "I don't know if this is such a good idea."

"There is nothing to fear, this is a safe place."

Mira shot Porlyusica a furtive look. "I burned down the room, and almost killed Lisanna and Elfman." What she didn't say was, _'I love them, and I almost killed them. What does that mean for you_?' She cared for Makarov, was appreciative for everything he'd done for them, but she loved Elfman and Lisanna so much, it hurt sometimes. They were all she had. If she could be that kind of a monster to them, no one else had too much hope.

Makarov smiled encouragingly. "Trust in me and yourself, Mira. You've been training very hard, I think if it's a soul you have, it will be willing to listen to your commands. Go ahead."

"But what if—"

"You need to put faith in those around you. I will stop you if you need to be stopped."

"Okay, but…" Her stomach bent again, this time around embarrassment as she voiced her next concern. "What if I'm too strong?"

Makarov raised a brow. "I've faced more formidable foes than a fourteen-year-old girl, Mirajane Strauss. Stop procrastinating and call your magic. Let us see if it's a demon soul."

Mira's hands were shaking and her lungs felt too small, but she did as she was told, going through all of the exercises Makarov had taught her. She didn't have to try very hard to feel the dark pulse of power inside her body; it was never very far. Imagining the thread, as Makarov said, she grabbed it and tugged the very end, just lightly.

As if it had been waiting for that very thing, the power in her body expanded. Suddenly, violently, she was burning. Burning and not burning. The world danced through a curtain of fire. _Just like in my dream_. Mira felt that fire taking from her, fueling its flames with something that beat in her heart. The flames got hotter. Beneath her feet, the grass scorched in a wide circle.

Makarov lifted his hands to protect himself from the flames. "Pull it back in, Mira." There was a small twist of urgency to his voice, though he fought to keep it even. "Remember the thread? Imagine dropping it now, it coils back down, laying limp once more. Your magic is gone."

Mira tried to do as he said but the magic was slippery. She lost her grip on it twice before she truly panicked. "I—I can't!"

"Calm down, Mira."

But she couldn't. The more frightened she became, the larger the fire blazed, until the majority of the ring was alight in flame.

"Help me!" Her chest felt like it was being hollowed out, the fires eating everything up inside, taking the girl and leaving behind a useless husk. "Help!" The flames jumped higher and Mira began to feel light headed.

"Mira, you're letting it take too much of your energy! Pull it back!" Makarov said hurriedly, but it was too late. Mira's vision doubled and then hazed and blackened.

* * *

Slowly, Mira became aware of the cold ground digging into her cheek, her arm asleep, and the exhaustion that ruled her body. Aside from the migraine pushing at her temples, her head was amazingly blank.

Lisanna's voice rang out, drawing her further into the waking world. "Is she alright?"

Makarov replied. "She'll be fine after some rest."

Elfman's voice came next. "What happened?"

Makarov sighed. "She lost control. If you let it, magic will use up as much of your energy as it can. It's a fire that wants to burn, brats. Remember that. Mage's have to learn temperance; otherwise our magic will consume us."

"Temperance?" Lisanna asked curiously.

"Control," Makarov explained.

Mira huffed when her head pulsed particularly bad. _Mage. Makarov and Porlyusica think I have magic. Takeover magic._ It came back in pieces. The uncontrolled burning.

"I think she's awake."

Laxus' voice was the _last_ Mira wanted to hear. She bullied her eyes into opening and looked up into the bright fall sky. There wasn't a cloud floating around up there. The emptiness only made her head hurt more.

A head of cotton hair blocked out the sun. "How do you feel, girl?" Makarov asked gently.

"Sick." Even that short word was agony to say.

"It'll pass when your magic refuels itself. On the bright side, our theory was correct. I believe you have a form of takeover magic."

Mira clenched her teeth together, feeling too miserable to be happy about that.

"How long will she be sick for?" Elfman asked.

Makarov shrugged. "Maybe a few hours, maybe a few days. She passed out before the magic could be completely drained from her body. It's a good thing, Mira. I was just about to subdue you myself. You'd feel worse now if I had."

Mira glowered at the old and smiling man. She decided that he was having fun with this and that made her hate him. "I just want to go lie down."

"You can help her inside," Makarov said to Elfman and Lisanna. "I think we're done for the day."

The pair made to help her up, but Laxus pushed by them and gathered her up on his own. Lisanna scrunched up her nose while Elfman made a noise of protest. Mira's migraine subsided for a new feeling: bashfulness. She didn't fight, sort of enjoying the attention.

Makarov harrumphed and turned away from the pair. "She's to be brought inside to rest, boy. No funny business."

Laxus' neck burned hotly but he ignored his grandfather and carted Mira back to the guild. She was still so light, as though she had missed a few meals.

"You ever going to get any bigger?" he teased to ease the tension.

Mira looked down dismally at her small chest. "Shut up."

Laxus grinned. Getting a rise out of her was becoming a favorite hobby, "I told you it was magic."

Mira grumbled. "Not any that I want to have."

"It's shitty," Laxus agreed.

"Yeah, thanks," Mira snapped, irritated. She attempted to wriggle out of his hold. He squished her tighter to his chest.

"I mean, yeah, you're stuck with this demon soul that messed everything up for you, but if you learn to use it… wouldn't that be the best kind of justice, to kill the thing with the power it used to wreck your life?"

Mira considered his words.

"Being a mage that can use the power of demons…" Laxus had a wistful look in his eye. "It's actually sort of awesome."

It didn't _feel_ awesome. But she did like the idea of extracting her own revenge. She'd get better, and then she'd find another, more powerful demon, and copy its magic. She'd kill the fire demon and that would be that. She would be able to control her magic, so she could even stop using it all together if she wanted. No more surprise visits from vengeful flames. No more wondering if the dark passenger in her chest was just going to take the reins. Because she'd call the shots.

Laxus moved through the guild, carrying Mira unthinkingly to his room. At the door, he juggled her and opened it wide. It was just as messy with dirty laundry and barren as it had been yesterday. He wondered more worriedly now that he wasn't so agitated if she was going to care that he had pictures of mostly naked women stapled around his room.

Sensing his discomfort, she cracked an eye and looked around, following his gaze to the posters. Then she tried to get him back for his earlier comments. "You gonna put a picture of me up when I'm a model?" Laxus' whole body flushed, just as she wanted.

He practically threw her down on the bed, to Mira's vocal displeasure. Laxus wasn't listening to her curses. "You can stay here for now." He turned from her quickly and made for the door.

"Are you just going to leave me in here?" Mira demanded. She didn't want to stay in his room all by herself. It felt like an invasion of privacy to her.

"I—" Laxus bit off his words and gnawed the inside of his cheek. Mira looked back at him, her hair a mess, her borrowed dress sitting too high. He felt a tightening down _there_ and blushed harder. "I'll see you later." He slammed the door behind himself and hurried to the balcony, totally overwhelmed.

* * *

Two weeks later, Laxus stared out into the forest, feeling jittery. He had told his father that he'd return a week ago. Ivan was going to start wondering where Laxus was if he didn't leave Fairy Tail soon, which meant that he would be pushed into wanting to pay Fairy Tail a visit. Laxus wasn't _positive_ his father would do something like that, but it seemed likely. How much longer could Ivan wish to 'keep the peace' for? He'd never known his father to be a very patient man.

Gildarts was still absent, which meant Gramps was still keeping Laxus, Mira and anyone else under the age of eighteen on lockdown, even though there hadn't been a single attack in Magnolia since Lisanna was almost drowned.

There was a piece of good news, though. Mira was able to call on her demon soul, and it didn't consume all of her magic in one go now. She hated it, and sometimes she'd cry in the memory of her house burning to ash, sometimes she'd get so mad she couldn't speak or control the flames. But slowly, so very slowly, the soul was becoming hers.

Laxus watched her train some days; some days he moped in the corner of the guild hall; some days he nicked liquor from the bar to pass the time until Mira was done, for no other reason than just because he was bored. He wished Gramps would let them go out into town—that would be _something_ at least. If he could get into town then he could get a communication lacrima and send a message to his father, that way he'd know where he was and why he was late in coming. If he even noticed he was missing. Laxus had considered using the one in Gramps' office, but if he walked in while Laxus was in the middle of a message…

He couldn't even imagine the lecture. Or the hurt Gramps would feel if he knew where Laxus was trying to sneak off to. _When did things get so messy?_ He had no idea.

To combat the restlessness, Laxus convinced Mira to join him on the balcony. They'd stay out drinking stolen rum until the stars had come out, until the moon had come and gone, and the horizon was lightening. Until they simply couldn't stay awake any longer.

They had learned to be quieter so Makarov didn't know they were sneaking about and drinking. It was exciting and bad and every time they did it, Laxus felt a little freer from his father's constant nagging in his head (he hadn't trained properly for _weeks_ ). It was a temporary relief, yet it was addicting.

In those two weeks, Gramps had Mira's room gutted and refinished—the mattresses and most of the innards needed to be thrown out—they were black and ruined with smoke. A week and a half after the incident, Mira and her siblings moved back into their room. Laxus wasn't sure if he was glad about that or not. She was closer to him that way, which was turning out to be both a good thing and a bad thing. A distracting thing, for certain.

Behind him, the door to the balcony opened. Laxus rushed to hide the bottle of whisky in his coat then looked over his shoulder. It was just Mira, dressed in a pair of tights and a loose fitting sweater. He relaxed. "Hey." The grin he gave her was lazy and practiced.

"Hey yourself. Getting on without me?" She nodded to the bottle he didn't hide all that well.

He passed it over. She took a deep swig, grimacing around the bad taste, and shook her head. "Blah. Still gross."

Laxus shrugged instead and held his hand out for the bottle again. The bad taste was worth the fuzzy dullness it offered.

"Do you think he notices that we take it?" Mira wondered.

Laxus tipped his head back to look up at the sky. "Those guys drink like fish downstairs; I doubt that he notices a bottle missing every once and a while." Once a week, at least.

Mira took the bottle back and took several long gulps. "Have you just been sitting out here all day, drinking?"

Laxus shrugged. "Not _all_ day." He'd harassed Cana for part of it, Erza for the other part. Beat up Natsu somewhere in between just for being an annoying flea that wouldn't stop begging him for fights.

Mira smirked. "Just most?"

Laxus didn't really offer her a reply, only a change of subject. "Gildarts should be here soon." He shifted so he was pressed against Mira's side, enjoying the warmth of her skin under his. He wondered how long they'd do this for, if she'd ever get sick of it.

"Is he going to start hunting as soon as he gets into town?" Mira wanted more than anything for any demons hanging around Magnolia to die, but she also wanted to be the one to kill them. The thought had wormed its way into her head and she couldn't dislodge it. Every day she called her demon soul. Every day she saw the flames and was trapped in the angry memory of her house razing. Every day the need for revenge hit her so solidly it nearly knocked the breath out of her. Demons had taken enough. It was time she took something of her own, wasn't it?

Laxus shrugged. "Probably."

The conversation dropped off again. Mira took the bottle back and drank some more, focusing on the sounds of Magnolia's bar district drifting up the huge hill to Fairy Tail's backside. People laughed and yelled. Cried and jeered. Lived. People lived. Mira wondered if she'd ever get the chance to do the same, or if she'd always be afraid of demons coming for her. She fingered her mother's necklace. It hadn't come off her neck since the day after her room burned. She'd been reluctant to don it before, but now that she was wearing it, it reminded her of the life she used to have.

 _Will I ever feel that safe again?_

"Laxus," Mira's voice was a little slurred. "Do you want to go on an adventure?"

"With you?" Laxus took the whisky back and considered her question.

"Yeah," Mira agreed. "I want to go demon hunting."

"Demon hunting?"

She nodded firmly. "I'm sick of being afraid. I'm sick of wondering if they're around Magnolia—if they're here for us. I want answers. You in or what?"

Laxus barely had to think about it, if it meant getting away from the damn guild. "What's the plan?"

* * *

Mira snuck into her room and packed a small bag as quietly as she could. Elfman and Lisanna snored lightly from their new beds, both turned towards each other. Their breathing stayed even as Mira threw clothing and hair ties and a pair of boots into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She tucked a pair of pajamas in there, too, just in case, and then crept to the door. She hesitated, fingers on the knob, and came back. She grabbed a piece of paper from her desk.

 _Elfman and Lisanna,_ she wrote,

 _Please don't worry. I'll be home soon. I love you,_

 _Mirajane._

She left it on her bed and shot one last longing look at her brother and sister. The guilt of leaving them didn't last long when she considered that they'd be safer afterwards. She tiptoed out, closing the door gently behind herself, then snuck into Laxus' room.

"Are you ready?" Laxus asked her, eyes bright in the darkness.

"Yeah, but I don't know what else we'll need..."

"I got bedrolls, and a little money. I'll buy us some food when the sun rises, but let's get out of here while we can," Laxus whispered. He slung his own pack over his shoulder and tugged Mira along behind him. She glanced back at his wall and saw that the model from Sorcerer Weekly had been replaced with another centrefold, this one brunette.

"Which is it, blondes or brunettes?" Mira whispered into the dark.

"Huh?"

"The girls you like."

Laxus raised a brow and grinned. "Recently? Neither."

Mira's heart beat faster.

The guild was still silent, Gramps' snoring the only sound. Laxus pushed through the balcony doors and held them open for Mira. She shimmied out by him and rushed to the edge of the banister. An owl called through the darkness. The wind blew, bringing with it an errant snowflake.

Mira grinned. _This_ was more like it. _This_ was the action she craved. She didn't wait for Laxus; she grabbed the banister with two hands and launched herself over the side. Her feet hit the ground two stories below. Her ankle protested the abuse, still tight after it's sprain. She disregarded the pain and started to run.

Mira's elation was catching. Laxus followed her to the ground and stumbled, a touch too drunk. He righted himself and raced after her, his long legs easily catching up. Then he was surpassing her. Mira laughed, the sound ringing loudly through the dark and near silent night. She pushed harder, running faster than she ever had before. They broke through the gates of Fairy Tail and tore down the cobblestone streets. They ran until their breaths tore from their chests and their legs were rubber. Until they couldn't run anymore.

Mira dropped back first. Laxus slowed and circled back for her. "How's your foot?" She was limping a little.

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

"So what? I don't care," Mira said with a grin. "I feel _good,_ Laxus. Better than I have in a long time. I'm so happy to finally be doing something instead of waiting for some stupid demon to come find me and kill me. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

He didn't. He shook his head.

Mira shrugged and smiled. "That's alright. It won't matter after I kill it. You're a good friend, thanks for coming with me." She laced her fingers through his shyly and waited for him to pull back. He didn't.

* * *

The next morning, they stopped in Oliver, the town beside Magnolia, for supplies, thinking that no one would recognize them there. Sleepiness was finally catching up on Mira. She yawned hugely every few seconds and walked with her eyes mostly closed.

At a building marked 'Liquidated Lacrimas', Laxus announced, "I'll just be a second. Wait here." He left her by an old stone bench and ducked inside. Every available surface was stocked with lacrimas of various sizes. Laxus bought the smallest, cheapest one he could find, figuring he wouldn't need to use it very often, then brought it back outside. Mira still waited on the bench. He barely looked at her, slipping into the alley between stores, and called his father.

In seconds, Ivan's severe face loomed in the lacrima window.

"Laxus, where are you?"

There was no doubt: Ivan was annoyed. Laxus swallowed tightly. "I ah—something came up." He shot a look over his shoulder to where Mira sat, mostly asleep. Ivan followed his gaze, his expression sharpening.

"Is that girl with you?'

"Mira? Yeah. We just have to do something, dad. I'll come as soon as we're done."

"You need to stay away from her."

"What?"

"Tell me where you are," Ivan's voice was sharp and cutting. "Right now, Laxus."

"I—no."

"Laxus, this is no time for games. Ditch the girl and come home. Get away from her."

Laxus hesitated, almost bullied into doing it. He found some backbone. "Bye, Dad. I'll see you soon." He cut the communication without waiting for a response. His heart pounded. That was the first time he'd ever disobeyed his father. He was likely going to pay for it later, but for now, it felt good.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the tardiness. I anticipate some questions about Cana's involvement here. I will say: This story is mostly about growing up. Finding yourself. Do I think she'll play a large role? Not likely, but there she is.

Thanks for reading!

-Freyja


	7. Chapter 7

When Laxus returned, he was toting both a sour expression and a dull communication lacrima. Seeing the crystal, Mira was quick to imagine all of the worst things. Like maybe Makarov had discovered that they were missing. Or maybe something terrible had happened, like Lisanna and Elfman were attacked again. Before she could give into panic, she decided to get the facts. "What's going on?"

Laxus schooled his features into something like nonchalance. It was forced, they both knew it. 'Nothing, just…" He wavered, on the fence. Seeing no reason to lie, he admitted, "I just called my dad is all."

"Your dad?" Mira repeated, only mildly relieved.

Laxus nodded. "I told him I'd be in contact a few days ago but… well, you know all that shit happened with Lisanna and Gramps has been kinda crazy."

Overprotective, for sure. Encouraged by his truthfulness, Mira sucked in a breath and asked, "Is that where you were trying to go the other day, Laxus? To see your dad?"

Laxus rooted around in his pack, looking for something to munch on while he considered his answer. He came out with a piece of dried meat and some hard bread. Not the best breakfast, but this was how his dad taught him to travel when he was going on journeys. He handed a hunk of meat to Mira. She took it and chewed, but still looked at him expectantly, not so easily distracted. Laxus sighed. "You promise not to say anything?"

Mira swallowed. "We broke out of Fairy Tail to go demon hunting, Laxus, on _my_ request. Do you really think I'm in any position to be telling your secrets?"

No, he supposed not. "Then yeah, I was going to my dad's guild. Like I said, though, him and Gramps don't get along, so… you know. Keep quiet. Neither of them know I was taking off to see the other."

Mira pushed her unruly hair back from her face. "That must be hard, having to sneak around to see the people you care about."

Laxus' only answer was comprised of, "There's a forest just on the other side of town with some decent camping spots. Come on. I'm tired and I don't want to waste cash on a motel room."

Mira felt her skin flush, uncomfortable imagining getting a motel room with Laxus. She was all too eager to stand and get her feet moving. Her hair hid her blush.

* * *

The place they chose was a lichen and common plantain-choked meadow. The lichen was a little stiff, and the plantain a little scratchy, but Laxus spread out the bedrolls, putting them closer than Mira ever would, and flopped down like it was the most comfortable place. Mira was too tired to protest, and really, where else was better? In the pine forest where the roots reached from the ground to poke into her back? Where, when the pines weren't so thick, poison ivy could stand to grow? Nope, this was good enough.

"So," Laxus asked when he was settled, lying flat on his back with his hands clasped behind his head. "How are we going to find these demons?"

"The note only said my mom's necklace would alert the wearer to any demon's presence…" Mira admitted. Saying it aloud, she saw the great error in her plan. If it were only good for telling her when demons were _around_ … well, really, it wasn't much good for hunting, was it? More like for being _hunted._ On the tail end of that thought was another that sat ill with her. _Being out in the open like this… you sure do make for an easy target, don't you?_ She fingered the necklace around her throat, wondering if the giver _knew_ that.

 _No. It can't be a trick because it really is mom's._ She could remember being small. sitting on her mother's lap and playing with the large opal, watching the sunlight reflect off of its gold-flecked surface. The memory was placating, yet it also opened up a chasm of hurt that spanned all of the months they'd been apart.

Seeing Mira's desolate look, Laxus said, "We can think about it more after we get some sleep."

* * *

The sun had nearly set by the time Mira's eyes were ready to come open. In the shade, dew had dared to gather on her belongings, soaking through her bedroll and into her clothes. She blinked up at the pure golden sky, staving off a wave of displeasure. She hated being cold. She hated being wet even more.

The sound of buzzing brought her further into the real world. Beside her, Laxus was also waking. He sat up groggily, hair thoroughly mussed. Mira's heart turned once. She smothered the feeling but knew it would occupy her thoughts later, demanding its origins be examined.

"What's that noise?"

Laxus reached into the pack at his side and tugged out his purchased lacrima. Though he hadn't made the connection yet, he could see his father's sour face was on the screen.

Mira looked over his shoulder. "Is that your dad?" It had been some time since she'd seen Ivan Dreyar from the edge of one of Magnolia's alley's, but he hadn't changed much, still looking as hardened and mean as ever.

"Yeah."

The lacrima buzzed.

"Well… aren't you going to answer it?"

Laxus pressed his lips together. "I don't know."

Mira didn't much want him to either, but she tried to lean on reason. "It could be important."

"Or it could not."

Hearing the incessant buzz was giving her anxiety. "Just do it, Laxus."

Heaving a sigh, Laxus felt for the magical thread that would make the connection. As soon as it was made, Ivan became animated.

"I need you to listen very, very carefully, Laxus," Ivan said in a rush. His hair was messy, his eyes were pinched and his mouth was flatter than a piece of paper.

It was a peculiar way to begin a conversation, one that had Laxus' nerves on edge. "What is it?"

"Are you still in Oliver?"

Laxus felt a stone drop in his stomach. "How would you know that?"

"I'm not an idiot, boy, I recognized the fountain. Yes, or no?'

Laxus knitted his brows together. "We're not in town anymore. We're in the forest—"

His father's anxiety spiked. "Get totally away from Oliver. There are demons in your area, looking for that girl. _You must retreat_."

"Demons?" Laxus repeated, heart beating a little faster. "What kind of demons?"

"The kind that won't hesitate to kill you. We've worked too _hard_ to have you fall victim to a blood-happy beast, Laxus. Pack up your stuff, ditch the witch, and _get moving_."

It took Laxus a moment to realized that the 'witch' which his father referred to was Mira. Annoyance came hard and fast, and bravery, with a whole lot of distance between them. "Demons are just what we're looking for. Thanks for the heads up." He started putting the lacrima away.

"Laxus!" Ivan's voice cracked with annoyance. Laxus hesitated for two whole seconds, then completely cut the call. His heart was _pounding_.

"Dem—" Mira started. Her words were cut off by a deep searing on her chest. She sat up and pawed at the necklace burning through her skin. She didn't get a chance to get it from her throat before the ground exploded at her feet and she was soaring through the air.

Gravity made her landing graceless. Hitting so hard she bit straight through her tongue, Mira lay there and just absorbed everything. The pain radiating through her body, the stars that danced before her eyes, the copper taste filling her mouth. Laxus' frantic yells _. Laxus._

Mira made herself sit up and blink the black from her vision. When it cleared, she was offered the view of her attacker, perched on a rock looking for all the world like a wild animal.

It was a woman—sort of—so pale it was as though she'd spent days rotting in putrid water. Bone stretched barely human skin, giving her a lumpy and... off sort of look. Coupled with her too-white irises and the odd scale that protruded from her cheeks, Mira was sure even without her mother's necklace burning a hole through her skin that this was no human.

"Mirajane Strauss." When it spoke, its lips peeled back to reveal razor-like teeth. "We've been looking for you."

Mira got to her feet. The lichen crunched beneath the soles of her boots, seeming deafeningly loud. Distantly, she was aware of Laxus moving behind the demon. He looked a little startled, caught off guard and rattled, but he'd found some iron bravery. Mira tried to find her own. "We? Who's that?" Her voice still shook like a child's. It was annoying, but not as annoying as the blood slowly sneaking down her face, hot and tickling. She had a gash on her head somewhere, probably from a rock or a tree branch or something. She didn't wipe it away, afraid to take her eyes away from the demon.

"Tani, of course. Are you so stupid you don't know who wants to take your life?"

Tani. The demon that killed her parents. The fire demon who's power she accidentally stole. Mira did her best not to let _this_ demon see how rattled she was. _This is what you wanted_ , she reminded herself. _You knew the reality._ Yet knowing and _knowing_ were two totally different things. She looked for boisterousness. "It's not like I've been hiding."

The demon's smile only grew. "No? Not behind your guild and your master? I disagree. You've been very difficult to get alone. No matter, we're here now. What do you suppose the reward for your head will be? Tani offered Yano your brother to torture if he succeeded in killing your sister. Yano was so eager, though, he wouldn't wait for the proper opportunity. And now he's dead. I won't make that same mistake. "

"You talk too much when you should be fighting for your life." Laxus spoke, reminding Mira that she wasn't alone.

The demon said, "I'm not interested in you, Dreyar sludge. Run along now."

Laxus bristled, not really wondering how it knew him with other things on his mind.

Mira said, "We're not going anywhere until we get what we came for."

"Oh?" The demon sneered and surged forward, intent on intimidating and doing a damn good job. Mira staggered back out of range, ungraceful on her feet. Snickering, it asked, "What you're looking for? And what's that?"

"Your—your head," Mira stumbled.

"It's always fun when you humans have a little spunk." The demon smiled maliciously. "I hear that you have an interesting power, Mirajane. A curse? I barely believed Tani when he said that you took his power. Ripped it right from his body, he said. That right? It took him weeks to recover fully. Not that he ever would have admitted it to us. Let's see if I can make you show me."

Mira watched the demon unfold itself from the rock, looking like a sack of sticks draped in a wet cloth. Her heart was palpitating so hard she didn't think she could move. This demon wasn't like the one that came into Miss Yunica's home. This one was more putrid, made of fouler things. Mira took deep breaths to calm herself. It was nearly ineffective when all she could think was, 'I'm not ready. I'm not ready.'

"Someone looks like they're having second thoughts, Mirajane," the demon said in a sing-song voice. It came closer.

"Get away from her," Laxus said from its back. In her periphery, Mira saw he was gearing up for an attack, his palms sparking with lightening. The air became statically charged, so much so that it made the hair on her arm stand on end.

"I told you once, Dreyar whelp, stay out of the way. I have no problem putting an end to you," the demon said absently, most of its attention focused on Mira, waiting to see if she'd falter or do something fantastic. "Come, Mirajane, I thought you were going to get what you came for?"

 _It's now or never. Do or die. Take revenge for your family, or lie down and let the demons win_. Mira pushed her fear aside as well as she could and pulled at her demon soul until it draped over her body, flames crackling but never burning her skin.

Instead of being intimidated like Mira hoped, the demon hummed, pleased. "That _is_ something."

Looking through a curtain of flickering light, there was no help for the way Mira's mind wandered. All of the things she hadn't thought of before she and Laxus left Fairy Tail rushed up to haunt her now when she could do nothing to change the way things were. Useless thoughts like, _What if I'm not strong enough to kill it_? She was only just able to pull her magic out without it running rampant. On top of that, she wasn't trained in combat. And then there was the most haunting thought of all... _What if I have no stomach for killing it_? She told herself to think of Lisanna. Poor Lisanna that had been attacked at the gardens for no other reason than her hair was white, her eyes were blue, and her last name was Strauss. _These are the demons that want to hurt your family._ Stomach for it or not, if she didn't do the killing, who would? Faceless guards in the employ of the king, or was she going to stand up and take the fight into her own hands? Stop being weak and helpless, at their mercy?

She squared her shoulders.

"There is the _grit_ Tani talked about," the demon purred, puce lips popping out grotesquely. "It's slightly less impressive than I thought, though... You know your power isn't truly as great as Tani's, right? When you break it all down, you're just an imposter, sliding into someone else's skin."

 _Imposter._ She felt like one, too, staring at the real-deal.

"Come on, Mira." Laxus dug inside for a bolt of lightning. The energy snapped between his hands, then excitedly danced through the air, more than ready to meet its target. The creature dodged, dropping and sliding as easily and _boneless_ as jelly through a crack. Laxus attacked again, using lightning so hot and wild, the trees around the demon exploded. Flames licked at the bark and the needles on the ground. Those flames tried to take Mira into a memory she didn't much care for. _'Help me, Mira.'_ Lisanna's weak cry, Elfman's blood. _Don't. The fire is yours now._ Except, fire was never really tame. It always sort of did what it wanted.

 _Stop it._ She wouldn't be paralyzed, not by fear, not by pain, not by a demon and certainly not by a memory. Concentrating, she let the fire come into her hand and threw it clumsily. Unsure of what she was doing, a great amount of energy was ripped from her body and tossed into that attack. It barreled through the trees, turning them to ash, scorching the rocks and the needled ground. It was so intense and happened so quickly, it hit the demon by pure chance.

There was no hope of hearing its scream over the roar of the flames, but Mira imagined what it sounded like. Horrible, and wonderful. The fire mostly snuffed out all on its own, only dead trees and the ground left to smoulder. In its wake, Mira found the demon, its flesh so burned it was black, limbs contorted at odd angles. Its body was twisted so impossibly, it had to have broken bones.

Mira waited for it to get back up. For five breaths, all was still. _Maybe it's dead_ , she dared to hope. Yet, as soon as she thought that, its fingers clenched, then its shoulder moved.

And then it unfolded itself, standing. There was no doubt in Mira's mind that its arm was broken, a piece of white-stained-red popped grotesquely from its body.

Black lips and a black tongue moved. "Lucky girl."

 _Gods. No._

Bright lightning made the mid-day sun look dull. Laxus' spell hit the demon square in the chest, further blackening its skin. It took the hit like it was nothing, then came back with one of its own, the attack it used wilting the few remaining plants. It hit Laxus. Immediately his skin turned grey and his lips went black. He fell to the ground, breath a weak _whoosh_ expelled from his lungs.

"Laxus!" Mira's hold on her soul faltered, fire sputtering, almost going out completely.

"That's better. All Dreyar's are annoying pests to the Inferie." It turned its gaze to Mira, skin cracking as it moved its head. "And so are Strauss'. Goodbye, daughter of Rikan. May you rot in hell beside your wretched father." The demon lifted her hand, shadows gathering around her palms. The power expanded, rushing toward her. Everything it touched it turned to dust, taking its life effortlessly.

Mira tried to call more fire to her hands, but she was too slow. Unable to do much else to prepare, she closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, praying. The power hit her knees, painfully damaging her skin. She sucked in a breath to scream but couldn't get it out, the air was so heavy with magic.

And then it stopped.

The sound of something wet hitting the ground came to Mira's ears. A putrid smell got stuck in her nose. Beneath the heady scent was another, too, one that was familiar. Cigarettes and alcohol.

What seemed like long moments past. Mira finally gathered the courage to crack an eyelid and found a tall man trailing a tattered cloak standing in a fine shower of red mist. Some got on Mira's skin, hot and reeking of iron. _Blood._ Horror was coming. She did what she could to stave it off, watching the newcomer. With a scuffed and worn boot, he nudged a little hunk of something on the ground. It squelched wetly.

"Heh," he muttered. "Guess I overdid it."

 _Is that the demon,_ Mira wondered. There was a piece near her body. Numbly, she touched it, fingers sliding over the slick object. There was no mistake. It was blood and flesh. She drew her hand away and rubbed it on her shirt, thoroughly disgusted, thoroughly scared. What kind of magic did _that?_

Laxus wheezed, drawing the stranger's attention away from the mess he made. "Hey, kid." He dug through his pocket and pulled out a lacrima that glowed with a dull, pulsing light. "You better take this." Ducking, he tucked the lacrima into Laxus' hand. The effect was instantaneous. Laxus' skin regained its colour, his wheezy breathing eased, and his eyes focused. In seconds, he was able to fix the man with a confused look. And then his face darkened with shame.

"Gildarts." His voice was raspy.

"Yeah. Lucky I found you when I did, eh? That curse was serious business."

Mira was able to gather her breath enough to ask Laxus, "You know this guy?"

The cloaked man regarded her for the first time. "Gildarts Clive." He straightened and extended his hand. Mira looked at it but didn't take it. Gildarts dropped his arm back to his side. "Just as well. Sometimes I can't keep my magic together."

That frightened her more than the blood on her skin and the bits of demon peppering the smouldering forest floor.

Laxus looked on in what he hoped was an impassive way, but internally there was a war waging. _I should have been able to take care of one demon_. Right? If Gildarts hadn't shown up…

 _Dad was right. I'm not strong enough._

Not yet.

Determination wriggled in his veins.

"When you're done, give that lacrima to your friend, Laxus," Gildarts said. "We gotta long way to go and it's getting dark."

* * *

Oliver wasn't very far behind them when Gildarts ducked off the cart-worn path and into the bush. Mira looked at Laxus in confusion. He shrugged and followed the man to a small clearing. Another campsite frequently used by travellers.

"We'll camp here tonight," Gildarts said. He looked at the darkening sky then back at Mira and Laxus.

"No hotel?" Laxus prodded, not super hard done by, but not really stoked to be sleeping outside again when all of his blankets were damp with blood.

"You got any money, kid? 'Cause I didn't finish that job I was supposed to be doing. I had to come back here and hunt your dumb asses down. Speaking of, do you know how angry and worried your grandpa is?"

Laxus looked away from Gildarts, shamed. It didn't seem to matter what he did, Gramps was always disappointed in him, just like his father. _And after that shit show, can you blame them_ , he wondered.

Gildarts softened. "Come on. Get up off the metaphoric ground and brush yourself off. This is just part of growing up. If you weren't running off on the old man every second you got I'd be worried about ya." He offered a smile.

Laxus only asked, "How did you find us?"

"Lucky guess. When I got into town, they said they saw two brats matching your description. Then I saw the smoke and knew for sure it was you," Gildarts replied. "Looks like I got there just in time, too." To Mira he said, "Makarov says you have takeover magic."

Mira hesitated a moment before she nodded.

"Demon soul?"

Again she nodded, then waited for Gildarts to say the usual: ' _you're cursed; demon, heretic'_ , just so she could say them right back. She'd never met anyone like him. His magic was… incredible. And horrible. And amazing. The man said none of those things. Instead he smiled. "That's pretty sweet, though I've never seen someone with that kind of magic before."

"Sweet?" she repeated numbly. It was anything but.

"Yeah, its awesome—great for the guild, too. You're going to be pretty powerful once you learn to use it right," Gildarts praised, completely oblivious to Mira's distain.

Mira turned away from him. She didn't want to think about that right now, not after _that_ failure. _But,_ her mind whispered, _just think of all the things you learned. Tani is definitely using demons to hunt you. And the necklace_ does _work._ Sort of. As far as a tracking system went, it was _useless_ , but for a warning…

Perhaps it could be useful to give to Lisanna or Elfman, though she didn't think the latter would be really keen on wearing a woman's necklace.

* * *

When the sound of Gildarts' snores permeated the air and Mira's breathing evened out, Laxus eased out of his bedroll and snuck into the forest, communication lacrima in hand. Only when he could no longer hear the noise of their camp did he stop to lean against a huge white pine.

Faintly, he wondered if his father would be asleep. Then he decided that he didn't much care.

He shouldn't have worried, Ivan had his lacrima at his bedside, perhaps waiting for this moment. When the connection was made, the older man squinted into the glowing ball, the only indication that he'd been caught unawares. Despite that, when he spoke, he sounded totally alert.

"Laxus."

"Hey, Dad." His chest was in knots, his earlier boastfulness forgotten in the face of his defeat.

"And how did your little excursion in Oliver go?" Ivan said cuttingly. "Find what you were looking for? Or did you run into trouble?"

"We were fine," Laxus lied.

"Really? Because I hear tell that you stepped into a demon's territory and found yourselves _at a loss._ I told you, didn't I, Laxus?" his father said. "You're not strong enough to kill a demon. Not yet."

Laxus squinted. "How did you know?"

"Your father has connections, boy. Connections you'd do well to lean on if you want to become stronger. Will you listen to me now, before you and your friends get killed because you can't take care of yourself? Leave that old fool behind, Laxus. He won't understand your... special training requirements."

Laxus sucked on his teeth, putting his pride in its proper place for a moment. "That's why I called. I want to come home."

Ivan's knitted brow eased some. "Yes?"

"I wasn't planning on leaving from here, though. I don't have any money for the train."

"I suppose you better start walking then," Ivan replied nonchalantly.

"It'll take me _weeks_ to get to Raven Tail on foot," Laxus said. "I have enough money to get a train to Kag, but after that, I'm screwed."

"That isn't my problem," Ivan said. "I told you not to go, but you left anyway. _Snuck out,_ if my memory serves me correctly, then called when you were already on the road."

Laxus didn't apologize. "If you don't meet me halfway, Gildarts is just going to catch up with me and make me go back to Fairy Tail, and if that happens, Gramps won't let me leave. There was an demon attack on Mira's little sister the other day and he's been really crazy."

Ivan considered Laxus before he reached beside him and nudged whoever was in his bed. "Get up, girl. You're going to Kag station to meet my boy and bring him home."

A soft voice muttered a response.

To Laxus, Ivan said, "I'll see you shortly."

The lacrima went dark. Laxus dropped it where he stood. Already fractured, it shattered when it hit a lump of bedrock. He left it where it was and went to gather his things.

* * *

A nudging in her arm brought Mira awake. Blinking, she saw it was dark still, the moon hidden behind the clouds. The only bright thing was Laxus' pale face looming over her. He put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion and grabbed her hand. She let him pull her out of her bedroll and tiptoed around Gildarts' sleeping form. He snored loudly, totally unconscious. Laxus pulled her a short distance away and paused by a tree. Mira finally noticed the pack on his back.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I'm leaving, Mira," Laxus admitted.

"What?"

For a second she thought maybe he was going to invite her to come, then he said, "I need to get better with my magic. I almost got us killed... I'm leaving for training again."

"With your dad?"

"Yeah." He scrubbed his hand behind his head. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Laxus, you can't leave me with that guy." She pointed to Gildarts' prone form. He didn't _look_ malevolent with his hand tucked under his cheek and drool coming from his mouth, but she _saw_ what was left of that demon.

"Gildarts is okay," Laxus said grudgingly. "He'll bring you back to Fairy Tail."

"Are you serious right now?" He _looked_ it.

"I gotta go, Mira."

He started to turn away. Mira grabbed his sleeve. "Wait. When are you going to be back?"

"I don't know," Laxus said truthfully. "I'll write, though, so we can keep in contact until I do."

Mira chewed her cheek. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, sure." He tried to sound cool and nonchalant, like it was no big deal; he had no idea if it worked or not.

Mira's smile was a weak thing that fell away just as quickly as it was formed. "Won't Master be mad at you for leaving?"

Laxus ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "He's going to be mad at me either way after we took off."

Mira groaned. "Man. And you're leaving me to fend for myself?"

"Just tell him it was my idea; I'll deal with him eventually. Or maybe he'll forget by then," he replied.

That sounded like he was going to be gone for a long time. Mira stuffed her hands in the pockets of her skirt and looked at her bare feet. Her toes were cold as they dug into the earth but she didn't care, it was a numb realization and nothing more. "I guess I'm sorta going to miss you."

"Sorta," Laxus repeated.

She swatted at him. He caught her wrist and tugged her in for a rough hug, chin digging into the top of her head. "I guess I'm sorta going to miss you, too."

When he pulled back, it was just enough that Mira could look into his eyes but he didn't step away. The expression on his face turned into the kind that made her skin heat. Nathan had looked at her the same way.

 _He's going to kiss me,_ she thought. It had been awhile since she'd practiced. A hundred things flew through her mind. _What if I mess it up?_ was the primary thought, followed closely by, _What if I really don't like being kissed by boys?_ It was too late to wonder, though, he was already moving in. Mira wetted her lips nervously and tilted her face up just a little.

It was short, just a press of his lips to hers, and sloppy, not really on her mouth at all, but mostly on her cheek. It was over as quickly as it had started. "Bye, Mira."

Dazedly, she watched him disappear into the forest.

* * *

A/N:

Ughhhh.

I'm _so, so sorry_ that I'm _so heinously LATE_. I HATE people that update their stories like, once in a blue moon. I've just been…

Eh.

Listless. Bred-in-the-Bone is taking a lot out of me, and I'm trying to finish the Monster and the Man. And so…

Yeah. But! Here's a chapter. It was supposed to be 12000 words long. As you can see, it's significantly shorter. Because I underestimated how _bad_ this story was originally. I think I mentioned that. Maybe? Yeah. Anyway. It needs serious love. I'm trying to give it.


	8. Chapter 8

Mira hardly slept, one eye open and either on Gildarts or the forest. She kept her mother's necklace in her hand all night, coming alert every time she _thought_ the stone got hotter. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or if it was actually fluctuating, but nothing ever attacked. In the hours she lay awake, she thought of Laxus, feeling guilty for letting him go off on his own. Exhausting her self-depreciation, she then thought about the way he kissed her. It wasn't as nice as being kissed by Cana, but she thought maybe it was because they rushed through it.

 _Maybe next time._

 _That_ kept her up as well. _Next time?_ And when would that be? In a few weeks, in a few months? Years, maybe? _Will he even want to kiss me then?_ And more importantly, did _she_ want to kiss _him_?

By the time the sun rose, she was exhausted and strung out, worrying now about the moment Gildarts awoke. With good reason, too. He snorted once, in tune with a particularly boisterous mourning dove, and cracked an eyelid. Mira froze, eyes open, and focused on his stubbly face only feet away. There seemed to be a few seconds where the man reoriented himself with the waking world, then he looked to where Laxus' bedroll had been between them and his brows came down.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know," Mira lied.

"You don't know."

"No."

He sat up, brows getting closer together. "Mirajane, right?"

"…Yeah," she said warily, still lying on her side, mostly because she was afraid to move.

"You and Laxus are pals?"

"I guess," she replied.

"Yeah, you are," he said more firmly. "And because of that, I have a hard time believing he didn't tell you where he was going."

"I don't know what to say. I don't know." She maintained eye contact; the best lies were told with a straight face. Unless you were lying to a man that had seen a lot of lies.

"There're demons all throughout this region, and they don't discriminate. Tell me _where he went_." He leaned closer with every word, annoyed. Did he know he was intense? Rugged and intimidating? Mira didn't think so, it was something that just fell off of his skin so casually. He wasn't aware that his torn up cloak full of cigarette burns, spattered with alcohol and blood defined him more than any biography might. He'd seen some things. Some good. Some bad. And he'd walked away every time.

Infatuation hit hard and fast. Even wariness couldn't rock that boat.

"Hey. Did you hear me?" Gildarts prodded when she still hadn't made a peep. "Talk."

 _Say something._ Mira flushed and found her tongue. "Laxus… he went to his dad's." She felt bad for ratting him out as soon as the deed was done, but she didn't think Gildarts was going to let her out of this forest without some sort of explanation, and she very much wanted to get home. That way she could ask Cana if there was something wrong with her, because she didn't kiss a boy and then get all lightheaded around a guy that was just a few years younger than her father would have been if he were still alive.

Gildarts spoke again, drawing her back to the issue at hand. "Are you telling me he hiked it all the way to Raven Tail?"

She shrugged. "…I guess."

Gildarts' face twisted with frustration. "And he didn't say a thing. Typical. Makarov is going to be pissed." He dug through his pocket for a cigarette. It was hand rolled, the tobacco stuffed in tightly. He lit it with a tarnished brass zippo. Only when the smoke was curling over his head did he go for a communication lacrima hidden in his cloak. "I don't know why I'm bothering. Ivan's not known for his conversation skills…"

While Gildarts called Laxus' father, Mira sat up and searched for her boots. Beneath her blanket all night they didn't collect any dew, but they were still too cold when she put them on. Her toes hurt. She wriggled them, encouraging them to warm up. Fat chance.

The lacrima lit up as soon as Ivan deigned to answer his end of the call. "Yes?"

Mira lifted her head to watch Gildarts speak. "Hey, Ivan."

"Gildarts Clive. To what do I owe the honour?" Ivan sounded as smug as Mira remembered.

"You know I'm looking for your boy. Master Makarov asked me to come get him and this girl he's been tooling around with, Mira, and I did, but when I woke up this morning, Mira here tells me Laxus ran off to you."

"He's my son," Ivan said. "He should be with his father."

Gildarts looked like he was biting something back. "That was before."

"Before?"

Gildarts shot Mira a furtive look. "Yeah, _before._ Before you fucked up, Ivan. Send the kid back and this doesn't have to get messy."

"I won't listen to your threats," Ivan said after a delay. "Laxus wants to be here. You can tell Makarov if he wants the boy, he can try to come collect him, but Laxus doesn't want to return to that pathetic guild. He's smart enough to know when to sever ties. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Gildarts protested. "Did he at least make it there alright? Or is he still out there? He and Mira were being attacked by a demon when I showed up—"

"My son can take care of himself," Ivan said. "I believe you should be worried about yourself, Gildarts."

The lacrima went dull. Gildarts swore fluently, using words Mira didn't even know. She catalogued them all away for a future date. The man scrubbed his chin scruff. "Get your stuff, Mira. We're heading back to Fairy Tail."

"What about Laxus?" Mira asked.

"We'll let Makarov decide that."

"He seemed like he wanted to go."

He looked at her sideways. "Yeah, well, he doesn't really know what he's signing up for, does he?"

"What do you mean?"

"Not all parents are created equal, kid. Stop asking questions and get your stuff. Let's go."

Mira got to her feet. Her whole body was stiff from two nights of sleeping on the ground out in the cold. Her bedroll was packed up in no time. She helped Gildarts wipe away the evidence of their camp, then slung her pack across her back and they were on the move again.

With no one else to talk to, walking got boring rather quickly. Mira scoured her mind for some common ground for she and Gildarts. The obvious answer was their respective magic, however, she had no idea where to begin. _Both of our magic is freaky_ didn't seem like a good opener. Struggling brought her pathetically to, "Do you like your magic?"

"Huh?"

Mira's neck felt hot. "I just mean… does it ever—I don't know. Freak you out or anything?"

He hesitated. "Yeah. I guess. Maybe a little. I've lived with it for a lot of years, though. It doesn't control me so much anymore."

"Anymore?" In the background, birds chirruped so very, very loud.

The man dug through his pack for a hunk of dried cheese and handed it to Mira. "Sometimes it just… comes out whenever it wants. I wreck a lot of shit if I'm not careful."

 _Just like me._ The infatuation grew. Mira nibbled the cheese. "Do you get tired of it?"

"Well, there's not much I can do about it, is there? We just keep trekking along, Mirajane. Things are tough now, but once you get a little older, figure some stuff out, you'll see it's not so bad."

Mira chewed over that for awhile, stealing covert glances at Gildarts when she didn't think he was watching. He rolled a cigarette as he walked.

"Do you like smoking?"

He raised a brow. "No. Don't start, kid. It's hard as hell to stop."

She almost asked why he did it then, if it was so damned hard. There was something else on her mind, though. "Do you think Laxus will be alright?"

Gildarts blew out a line of thick grey smoke. "Getting to his father? Yeah, probably. Once he's there? Who knows."

Mira knew she was prodding, but… "Why doesn't master want him there?"

"Eh? You're going to have to ask Makarov that one. None of my business." He pulled up short in the middle of nowhere. There was only a gravel path, trees and rocks and more trees.

"What are we doing?" Mira asked.

"Gotta take a leak. Hang out for a minute, eh?" Gildarts ducked into the forest before Mira could answer and tromped over fallen twigs and dried leaves. Mira turned her back away from where he disappeared and faced the opposite direction. Overhead, the sky was blue. The tops of the trees bent in an ever-present wind. They were too sheltered to feel its effects, but the leaves, those that had dared to turn colour, trembled, then were torn from their homes and thrown to the ground.

Minutes passed.

Something was bothering Mira. After great thought, she placed it. The forest was quiet. No birds. No squirrels. She cocked an ear, straining, but still didn't hear a thing. Not even her partner returning. "Gildarts?"

He didn't respond.

Mira's stomach churned. "Gildarts!"

Still nothing. She stood there for a full minute, debating what she should do. Go into the forest and risk seeing him pee? Stay there until he came back out? She chewed her cheek hard. "Gildarts!"

Only silence.

Mira tipped her face to the sky and prayed that she wasn't about to see something she very much did _not_ want to see. There was no other option. She stepped off the road and into the forest.

All around her was red oaks, yellow basswood, and orange black cherry trees. All throughout _those_ were green cedars and pines. The forest was a riot of colour. Mira kept her eyes casted to the ground and did her best to track Gildarts' path.

"Gildarts!" She didn't want to sneak up on him.

A scrap of black fabric hanging on a tree branch caught her eye. She came closer. She didn't need a double take to see that it was Gildarts' cloak, yet she took one anyway, just to be certain. Between her fingers the fabric was stiff. Beneath the blood and cigarettes, it smelled like the forest floor. A little earthy, a little like pine needles. She released the material and spun in a small circle. She could see Gildarts nowhere. _Maybe…_ she ducked and peaked beneath the skirt of the trees.

Her heart slowed. There, amongst the leaf litter, was the man she sought. He was collapsed on the ground, a runner of blood leaking from his temple. "Gildarts!" Branches grabbed her hair and pulled. Mira pushed them off impatiently and crawled across the wet forest floor to his side. His belt was open, as was the button on his pants, but they were still up. He hadn't gotten very far. Or maybe he was on his way back. Mira didn't _want_ to touch him, remembering their conversation. She didn't want his magic choosing _this_ opportunity to come out and do her like he'd done that demon.

Around her, the forest felt malevolent. Wind hissed through the trees, the sky darkened, the azure blue getting covered by rogue clouds. The air chilled to the point where Mira's skin crawled with goose bumps. _Just do it._ She touched Gildarts' shoulder and shook. "Gildarts. Wake up." He was limp like a ragdoll. _What if he's dead?_ She didn't think so; he still had good colour. _Please._ "Come on." The lump on his head was huge, purple and blue and bleeding with every pulse of his heart. Did he fall? "Come on." She shook him harder.

The leaves around Mira's body suddenly lifted into the air, pushed her way by a huge gust of wind. Some stuck to her face and her arms, some whipped by her with enough force to make her skin hurt. She cried out and blocked her eyes from any damage. Because of that, she didn't see the demon until it had closed its hand around her throat and lifted her into the air. Before she could blink, it slammed her into a tree so high up, it was dizzying looking down at the ground and Gildarts' prone form. There was no screaming, her throat closed off with fear and the force of that grip. The tree dug into her back, the broken nubs of branches poking her so hard, her skin broke. The pain was secondary, sitting nicely behind the _I can't breathe, I'm going to suffocate to death fifty feet off the ground._ She barely dared to confirm that number. All she knew was that there was nothing beneath her feet.

Through slitted eyes, Mira saw her attacker. It was a demon, for certain. Nothing else had powerful leathery wings. Nothing else had eyes so blue and cold. Nothing else had scales so sharp they cut through her skin. Nothing else looked through her so completely and made her feel like she was _nothing_ at all. Was it male or female? Mira couldn't tell. In the end, its sex didn't matter. It was going to kill her one way or the other.

The only words the creature spoke was, "Goodbye, Mirajane Strauss." Its hands tightened. Mira's throat started to buckle beneath the pressure. _Fall and die, or let my throat collapse?_ She thought maybe the fall would be quicker. She clawed at the demon, and kicked. All to no avail. The thing hit her back against the tree and squeezed tighter. Black spots appeared in front of Mira's eyes. _Do something. Gods._

Her mind was so blank. But her magic worked well enough, having a mind of its own now that hers had taken the backseat. Takeover reached out, out, enveloping the demon as it had with Tani, taking everything that made it unique and doubling it. Way down inside, Mira felt Tani's soul shuffle over to make room for this new one. This new one that felt like so much _more._ Before the copy spell was complete, Mira's skin was shifting. Her back ached as bones sprouted _through_ her skin and leather stretched over them in some sort of wing. The demon holding her startled back, tearing away from Mira and breaking the spell. Suddenly free, Mira began to fall. She still couldn't scream. Branches whipped by, slitting open her skin, tearing her clothes. The wings on her back got ripped to shreds, pulled through sharp bits of wood. The ground was coming up quick. Mira flapped her perforated wings twice, the sensation wholly _strange_. That was as far as she got before she landed. Her arm _snapped_ , her head _cracked_ , and her vision _blurred._ But not before she saw Gildarts stagger to his feet. Not before she felt his magic fill the air. Not before she heard the demon _pop_ wetly and was showered once more in gore.

Blackness came for her.

* * *

It felt like it took a long time for Mira to come awake. When she did, it was because she was in dire pain. She'd felt worse—being burned so badly Miss Yunica was afraid her salves wouldn't work was a pretty painful experience—but hell. She felt nauseous. The movement didn't help, either.

"You awake, kid?"

His voice rumbled through his chest and into Mira, bringing her into alertness. Her eyes came open. She looked up into Gildarts' scruffy and bruised face and realized why the angle was so peculiar. He was carrying her. "What…?"

"You're pretty beat up. Don't move. Makarov's got Porlyusica waiting for you. We'll be at Fairy Tail soon."

 _Soon._ "What happened?"

"Demon."

Bits came back to her. "Is it…?"

"It's gone. Rest."

She didn't need to be told, her eyes were already closing.

* * *

The next time Mira woke was no less confusing. There was a roof with wooden supports running through it high overhead. There was a bed beneath her aching body. She squeezed her fingers and felt something restricting her movement. Looking down revealed a cast cinching on her left arm. _Broken. In the fall._ _That demon…_

A man's voice rasped from what felt like far away. At first she couldn't hear what he said, but with every passing second his voice became clearer and clearer. "This has gone far enough, Ivan. Let the boy come home now and spare him your tyranny." She'd know Master Makarov anywhere, even when he was keeping his voice purposefully low as to not disturb her.

The responding voice was becoming familiar. "My boy left on his own volition."

"Lies." Makarov's voice rose a touch. Mira could practically _feel_ him struggling.

"Come, Laxus. Tell the old fool. Tell him how you want to be able to protect yourself instead of relying on undependable men like Gildarts Clive."

There came a derisive snort that Mira thought belonged to the man in question.

Makarov said, "You're putting words in the boy's mouth."

And then Mira heard Laxus. "It's true, Gramps." He sounded so… _ashamed._ Mira struggled to make her eyes open. Millimetre by millimetre her lids came up. Through dark lashes she observed the room around her. She wasn't _in_ Fairy Tail's infirmary. She was in Makarov's office. Makarov paced in front of a window that held out a dreary fall day. Night had come and gone. Morning looked like it was bringing rain. The lacrima before Makarov illuminated the room, lifting it from its grey lighting. To Makarov's right, Gildarts leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, a sour expression on his still bruised face. The swelling had gone down, but all the way from his temple to his chin was purple. It looked painful.

"I'm coming to get you, Laxus," Makarov announced.

"Did you not just hear him? He doesn't _want_ to go back," Ivan said. "I'm not making him say those words."

Makarov stopped pacing so he could slap his palms down on his desk. The lamp, a cup of pens and a cup full of coffee rattled respectively. "He doesn't know _what_ he wants, Ivan. You've rattled his brains with your verbal vomit. That boy is your son but you treat him like a dog. No longer."

Laxus' voice was more even. "Like a dog? I asked to come, Gramps."

"Laxus, please. Listen to me—"

"Stay out of it."

Silence followed Laxus' words. While Makarov digested them, Ivan smiled widely. "I told you. Laxus came here on his own free will. He wants to be as strong as he can, and knows his father will encourage that. Go back to your hole, Makarov, and let the new generation of mages take over."

The next time Makarov spoke, his voice warbled. "Don't you touch that boy, Ivan, or so help me..."

"I haven't done anything that Laxus hasn't asked me to do."

"Ivan—"

"Goodbye, old man." The connection was cut.

All was still. Then, "You don't think he…?"

"Cut open his own son and stuffed a dragon slayer lacrima inside?" Gildarts mulled over that. "I don't know, Master. The only thing I do know is Ivan _is_ Laxus' father."

Makarov's eyes narrowed. "So? You think he knows how to raise that boy right? Or how to keep him from danger? You think he's right in experimenting?"

Gildarts shook his head. "Course not. But Laxus is a smart kid, he'll figure out who his dad is and come home when he's ready. Unless you want to start a war between guilds? I don't care either way—I'm ready to throw down whenever, but the Council will sure be pissed."

"The magic council be _damned._ He's just a boy, Gildarts," Makarov insisted. He tugged on his mustache, an irritated tick if Mira had ever seen one.

Gildarts crossed his arms over his chest. "He's sixteen—plenty old enough to figure out his old man's a douche. I say we let this take its natural course. He'll eventually come to terms with the truth."

"Or he'll be poisoned by Ivan's hate."

Gildarts hesitated. "Yeah, maybe. I think he's got enough of his mum in him, though, and his grandfather, to look past that."

That placated Makarov. Except, without his fury, he was just hopeless. "Ivan… I don't know where I went so wrong."

"He's as rotten as they come," Gildarts agreed, "but if you go get Laxus right now, he'll think that your trying to set him against his father. You'll only push them closer together."

Makarov sighed and grabbed his pipe from off his desk. He packed tobacco into its bowl and promptly lit it with shaking fingers. "I hope you're right about this."

Mira sat up more fully, drawing the attention of the men.

"Mirajane," Makarov greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Mira admitted.

"Yes, I suspect so. Your arm's broken, and a rib. There were several bad lacerations as well, but Porlyusica patched you up. A few weeks and you'll be good as new, she says," Makarov reported. With each word, some of his worry went away—or it was redirected.

"Why am I here and not in the infirmary?" She was afraid to ask. Did he want to see her first so he could throw her from the guild? Did he want to make sure she was here so he could scream at her in private?

"Lisanna and Elfman wouldn't leave you be and you needed to rest."

Was that all? "Are they alright?"

"Worried about you, but okay otherwise."

"And... Is Laxus okay?"

Makarov puffed on his pipe more furiously. "He's alright, yes. By some grace." His mouth got flat. "We need to set some rules and boundaries, and they need to be respected. When I tell you not to do something, Mira, I mean it. It's for your safety. What were you thinking, running off like that?"

Mira tightened her fingers in the rough blankets. "I didn't want to be a victim anymore."

He didn't get less angry. "And in thinking like that, you became the very thing you didn't want to be. Your carelessness almost cost you your life—and Laxus'."

Both his words and his tone were harsh. Mira did her best to withstand it. She felt like a paper girl, soggy and limp beneath the pressure. Tears pressed at her eyes. She blinked them back. "It wasn't supposed to go like that."

"Nothing ever goes according to plan. Especially when you don't have a true one."

Mira looked away.

Tense silence ruled the office. Then Makarov said, "I hear tell you've acquired a new soul."

Mira looked at Makarov from beneath her lashes. Anger and curiosity jostled for position in his eyes. She relived the feeling of the wings stabbing through her skin, the cold in her chest that came with every time she used her takeover. "Yeah. Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"The demon dropped me before I was totally done," Mira admitted.

"Falling out of the sky, you sure looked like a demon," Gildarts said.

Using her magic, Mira prodded the soul in her body as much as she dared. It pushed back at her, powerful and furious it was trapped. Just like with Tani's, it threatened to crawl up over her skin and take control. Mira pushed it down as well as she could. _That_ was going to require some conditioning.

"That feels an awful lot like it worked," Makarov said, sensing the magic on the air.

Mira held on to that. _I found a soul stronger than Tani's_. Which meant she could kill him. It hadn't been a total failure.

"Now." Makarov puffed his pipe again. "As for your punishment..."

* * *

Sitting on her bed, Mira played with her mother's necklace and looked at the ground dismally, turning Makarov's words over in her mind. She didn't know if she could do as he asked. She didn't know if she couldn't.

The door opened and Lisanna came through. A myriad of feelings flew over the girl's face at seeing her sister. She was still too young to even begin masking them. Joy. Anger. Hurt. "Hi, Mira."

"Hi, Lisanna." She clutched the necklace hard enough it bit into her hands. Before Lisanna could shoot any accusing words her way to make her heart hurt, she said, "I have something for you."

Some of Lisanna's anger faded. "You do?"

Mira held out the necklace. "It was mom's."

Lisanna came in and plucked it from her hand, examining it carefully.

"If you wear it, it'll tell you when there're demons around. It'll get hot. If that happens, you know to run, okay?"

Immediately, Lisanna said, "I don't want it."

"Why? It'll keep you safe," Mira said.

"I don't want to break it."

"You won't. Please keep it, Lisanna," Mira begged. "I don't want you to get hurt again."

Lisanna's true-blue eyes, so like their father's, met Mira's. "What about Elfman?"

"You have to stay together if you leave the guild. You'll keep each other safe," Mira said with a great deal of vehemence.

"...And what about you?"

"I'm okay on my own," Mira replied. Master thought so, anyway. Or okay enough. She shuddered thinking about the coming week, her punishment...

Elfman filled the doorway. He met Mira's eyes and smiled weakly. "You came back."

Mira's heart lurched. "Of course I did."

"Told you, Lisanna," Elfman said.

Lisanna looked to the ground. "Why did you go?"

"...I thought..." _That I could protect you, but I was wrong?_ That didn't seem like a very assuring thing to say. "It doesn't matter. I'm back now."

"But you're hurt." There were tears in Lisanna's eyes. "You almost went away like Mom and Dad. You almost—"

"Sh. I'm fine," Mira said in a voice that was supposed to be soothing but only managed to sound shaken. Still, Lisanna quieted. Mira held out her hand. "Come here." The young girl stepped into her arms, crushing her in a hug. She eased only when Mira whined, her rib protesting.

"Sorry, Mira."

"It's alright." The pain faded. Lisanna released her so Elfman could take her place.

* * *

Beneath a huge white pine at the back of Raven Tail, Laxus passed his pipe to the girl that had met him at the train. He didn't ask if she was the one in his father's room that night, he didn't want to know.

"I guess this makes up for you missing my seventeenth birthday." Cora gathered her curling midnight coloured hair over her shoulder then took a huge haul off the pipe. She held the smoke in until she couldn't anymore and coughed roughly.

"It's not my fault," Laxus replied. Though he wasn't all that sad for it, either. Those last few days with Mira had been a lot of fun.

Cora handed him the pipe again. "Do you like Fairy Tail better?"

Laxus thought of the greeting his father gave him. And the treatment he'd receive if he said anything other than, "No."

"Then why do you keep going back?" She got a little closer to him, her blue eyes not as pure as Mira's, but just as penetrating, looking through him to the truth beneath.

"Mind your own business, Cora," Laxus said after a moment.

"Oh, sorry. I thought we were talking."

"I thought we were getting high." It helped him get away from the memory of Gramps' pained and betrayed expression. It helped him not be embarrassed of the way he kissed Mira. It helped him prepare for the pain his father was about to inflict on him. It'd only been a few weeks, but already his muscles were lethargic. It showed in the fat lip he was now sporting. He'd been too slow in the training hall that morning and his father had made sure to let him know.

As soon as the bowl was empty, he packed it again.

* * *

A/N: Hi! Late as usual. Sorry. P.S. I don't know if you guys know this or not… but Doranbolt is sort of the greatest Fairy Tail character. I think I will write about him. And maybe Gildarts. They're both glorious bastards.


	9. Chapter 9

Laxus' bruised knuckles rapped soundly on the door to his father's study. The solid wood carried the sound, yet muffled Ivan's "Enter." Laxus clamped his damp hand around the piece of paper he held and pushed the door wide while his stomach cramped with nerves. He didn't know _why_. It was just a stupid letter. Maybe it wasn't the letter at all that had him twisted around, but his father's coming response. He knew all too well what Ivan thought about this kind of thing. ' _When you get involved like that, you'll see that women are good for taking to bed and that's about all, Laxus. Listen to your old man and you won't have to learn the hard way.'_ He'd heard the lecture a thousand times, even before he was old enough to do such things. Asking about Mom earned him a cuff to the ear if he was lucky. A day of rigorous training and no meals if he was not. He learned to listen without speaking. Most of the time, Ivan's rants ended non-violently with only a fissure of hate between his brows. He'd take a few hours to calm down. In that time, Laxus would avoid him like the plague because he could never seem to stop himself from kicking the hornets' nest, even when he didn't mean to.

Now, Ivan sat at his desk, one leg crossed over the other, a piece of paper held up.

"Hey, Dad," Laxus greeted.

Ivan barely looked at Laxus. "Aren't you and Curran supposed to be training?"

Laxus thought of the brute of a man that was likely waiting for him in the training hall. His already sore knuckles weren't going to thank him after _that_ clash. "Yeah. I was just..." He hesitated, nearly backing out. He didn't write letters to girls. He didn't even know what to write. Before he could get too abashed and back out, he remembered his promise and barreled on. "I was just wondering if you would take this and drop it off when you send out your guild reports to the council? You have to mail them, right?"

Ivan finally offered his full attention and noticed the letter Laxus had a death-grip on. He held out his hand. Laxus trapped his breath in his throat and passed it over. "Mirajane Strauss," Ivan read.

"Yeah."

Ivan tapped his stubbed nails against his solid oak desk. Each time one finger _thunked,_ Laxus suppressed a nervous twitch."The girl the demons are after."

Acting unaffected, Laxus affirmed, "That's the one." His voice came out just as he wanted: full of false surety, like he could see no reason why his father might object.

Of course acting the part didn't work. Ivan had a wealth of opinions and he had no trouble voicing them. "She's trouble. Leave her in Magnolia." He moved to tear up the letter.

"Don't!" Laxus lunged for it. Ivan held it out of reach, a dangerous look on his face.

"Don't?"

Laxus extended his hand, palm out and met his father's eyes for only a moment. "No."

"Or else what?"

Laxus clenched his fingers and looked away, thinking of all the things he'd like to say. None of them would come out of his mouth, he wasn't feeling quite that reckless yet. "Nothing." Ivan visibly relaxed, so Laxus pushed a little more in a politer way. "Could you please just do it? It's just a shitty letter."

"You're right," Ivan said after a long moment. "It's just a shitty letter. But I'll do it, for my son. Make me a promise, though."

"What's that?" Laxus asked warily.

"When the trollop doesn't bother replying, forget about her, Laxus, and Fairy Tail. You have everything you need here."

Laxus' only response was, "She'll reply."

* * *

Mira walked at Gildarts' side, studying the golden sunset. Its splash across the clouds was the only colour on the horizon. A week ago, a huge windstorm had come and raided the trees of their leaves, now they were naked and trembling in the bittering fall wind. The chill didn't bother her, she was preoccupied—it was mail day, the first since Laxus left. Her own letter was in the mail—she'd begged Raven Tail's address from Master Makarov and filled a piece of paper with everything that had happened since Laxus left. Including the addition of her new soul and Master's unconventional punishment. So busy wondering what Laxus would have written, it took her quite a while to realize that the man at her side was talking.

"Personally, I'm not a huge fan. I like to come and go, you know? Master always manages to rope me into this shit, though, and they eat me alive. 'Oh, Gildarts, break apart this wall. Gildarts, how hard do you train? Gildarts, let me see crash one more time' like it's a goddamn game. But you looked like you were doing okay. They loved that new soul."

That new soul that was so _obstinate_. That new soul that made Mira work through every waking hour over the last two weeks—and some sleeping, too—just so she could get good enough to call it and not have it totally overrun her in front of the public. Even with all the extra training, she couldn't use it for very long, otherwise it didn't matter _what_ she did, she'd lose her hold. " _They_ may have loved it, but I hated it."

Gildarts snorted. "Really? I saw you fixing your hair and smiling for that journalist and his photographer. You can't bullshit a bullshitter."

Mira rolled her eyes. "I just didn't want to look like a troll. No reason to give everyone _more_ ammunition when they see that article and come to burn down Fairy Tail, calling me a she-devil." She'd expected the same treatment as they entered Sorcerer Weekly earlier that afternoon, but surprisingly there was no crowd to scream or throw things at her or call her horrible names. She knew Master Makarov gave Sorcerer Weekly _explicit_ instructions to keep their interview hush-hush until the article could be printed; she didn't think they'd actually _listen._ Gildarts had shot her down immediately when she voiced her fear, telling her that the magazine would want to make sure that the story was all theirs. The less people that knew about it meant that they couldn't be undercut by any other newspaper looking to poach a story.

"Nah, they loved you." Gildarts smacked her hard on the back. Mira was both simultaneously annoyed and pleased. Since Gildarts had agreed to stay at Fairy Tail to hunt demons in the area, she'd only become sweeter on him, smiling foolishly, tripping over her words. When she told Cana about it all, the girl had looked at her like she'd grown two heads and cussed fluently. Their conversations had been sparse since. Mira wondered if it was because she seemed to like a boy. She wasn't brave enough to ask, afraid of what it meant if Cana said yes. Of what she'd say in response.

Gildarts said, "I'll give it a week before Sorcerer's calling you back again, wanting to do a photoshoot. I think you should go for it. Any good publicity you can get is a big win, especially when you're like you and me."

Mira ignored the way her heart flopped irksomely and furrowed her brow. "You just told me how much you hated it; why are you pushing it?"

He scrubbed his thin beard. "Politics. Gotta know them when you're in a guild, Let Fiore know the real _She-Devil_. But not really. The She-Devil you want them to know, that's the key. Make yourself look as good as you can."

Her response was immediate. "Don't call me She-Devil."

"Why not? It's a good handle."

Gildarts didn't squirm under her glower like others did. Like Laxus, he was unafraid. Mira missed her friend badly in that moment. She wondered what he'd think of Master's peculiar punishment: an interview and photoshoot with Sorcerer Weekly hadn't even been particularly _bad._ She'd worked herself up a lot over not much of anything.

"You can't even think of a reason not to use it," Gildarts continued when she was just silent. "Trust me, Mira, people are going to think of all kinds of names for you, most of them are going to be fucking awful. You might as well embrace them. They want to call you a She-Devil? Take it away from them by making it yours. Make it _mean_ something. Don't let it chain you down."

Mira added that to the list of things she had to chew over. They crested the hill, bringing Fairy Tail into view. Ahead, a small, grey man carrying a huge stack of letters teetered down the road. The wind grabbed one off the top of the pile and sent it flying. Mira left Gildarts there, rushing to pick it up. It was a letter from the magistrate's office. Not Laxus. She wouldn't be deterred, though. There was a giant stack yet unexplored.

"Master!" He hadn't even noticed that she was there yet.

The man turned and fixed her with eyes as grey as Laxus'. "Oh, Mirajane. How did it go?"

"Fine," she said dismissively. "Is there a letter for me?"

"Fine? Tell me about it."

Mira waved him on impatiently. "I just did. It was fine. Did Laxus write me? Yes, or no?"

Makarov pursed his lips. "I don't know. I haven't looked through the mail, I just collected it."

Mira bit back a huff. "Well, here." She took a large part of the stack from him, intent upon sitting on the frozen ground and going through it herself.

Makarov said, "Inside, Mirajane. I'm too old to be sitting out here in this cold."

She brushed past him without apology and hurried inside, straight to his office, ignoring shouts from the other guild members, Lisanna and Elfman included. She didn't want to talk about her stupid interview. It wasn't important. Makarov shuffled in behind her, while Gildarts took up residence at the bar.

While the old man closed the door, Mira dropped her portion of the stack on his cluttered desk and started rooting through it with abandon. Most of the letters had 'Makarov Dreyar' stamped to the front in dark ink. The ones that didn't were addressed to the other members, Macao, Wakaba. Even Cana had one.

When Mira reached the bottom of the pile she took Master's from him and went through that, too. Then she went through them both again. There was nothing. Just to be sure, Mira scrawled through them one final time before she gave into disappointment. Then it hit heavy. To keep herself busy was to keep it at bay. Mira gathered up the letters. Some of them were bent by her furious sorting. She crumpled them more when they wouldn't fit back in an orderly manner. Makarov raised a brow. "Careful with those, girl. They could be important."

Mira didn't respond but did make a conscious effort to be more careful, thinking that while Laxus hadn't written her like he promised, her letter to him was already in the mail. Maybe that would remind him to write.

"I'm sorry, Mira," Makarov said, reading the despondence on her face. "I'm waiting for the boy to write or call too."

"That's alright. Maybe it got delayed? Or maybe he got busy and he's behind?"

"Maybe," Makarov agreed.

"Well… I have to start my shift soon. Thanks for letting me look." Mira turned to leave.

"Wait," Makarov called her back.

"Yeah?"

"The tables can wait. Tell me about your interview."

Mira narrowly avoided rolling her eyes. "This again?"

"Yes," he said patiently. "Sit."

"I'd really rather—"

"Mirajane." He rarely got so serious with her. Mira found herself clamming up and dropping into the plush pink arm chair on the other side of his desk. The soft material nearly swallowed her down. She adjusted so she wasn't _inside_ the chair and waited for Master Makarov to prod. She didn't have long.

"Well, speak up."

She shrugged and said shortly, "It was fine. I went in, they asked me some questions, took some pictures, and in the next issue they're going to print some garbage story."

Makarov sat and started packing his pipe with fast, practiced movements. "Why will it be such a garbage story?"

"Because," Mira said hostilely. "The reporters will try to paint me in a good light, but as soon as people read 'demon takeover' they're going to make up their minds. That story won't make them like me more."

Makarov fingered the swell of his corncob pipe thoughtfully. "Some will hate you, and some will like you, such is the nature of the human condition. But hiding… that makes everyone suspicious, regardless of your character. I think if they ask you to come in again, you should, Mira. I won't force you this time, though, it'll be your decision."

"That's a hard no," Mira replied automatically. "I'm not doing it again."

"You say that now, but I think you may change your mind," Makarov said sagely.

"Not likely," Mira muttered, remember the woman with the makeup kit patting her face, complaining about shiny skin, fussing over that _one piece_ of hair in the back that just wouldn't stay down, no matter what they did. _That's_ why Mira was constantly checking in the mirror, the woman was making her self-conscious. It seemed to be an easy task lately.

"As you say."

Like he knew her better than she knew herself. _That_ got beneath Mira's skin. "Yeah, I do say. Besides, what about the demons? I thought you wanted us to keep our heads down for a bit? Showing up in a stupid magazine that brags about my power doesn't seem like a good way to do that."

"You kind of already blew that out of the water taking over that new soul, Mirajane. Your name is going to travel through the demon world like wildfire." Makarov ignited a match and puffed life into his bowl. When the embers glowed red, he took in a mouthful of acrid smelling smoke and blew it out in a long silver stream. "And yes, I would be lying if I said I wasn't fearful. I've thought about it, though, and I don't want to give them the wrong impression. We shouldn't be hiding." He squinted and looked at her from the corner of his eye, pipe resting on his lip. "However, let me be clear, standing tall in the face of your enemy is very different from looking for trouble. And by that I mean, here in Fairy Tail, you're protected. I pity any demon foolish enough to attack you in our home. And when you go out into town, I've asked Gildarts to be nearby. You'll be more than safe enough."

Mira didn't know how she felt when Makarov stopped talking. She didn't like the idea of going back to Sorcerer Weekly, yet she _did_ like the idea of defying the demons.

"Maybe you can even consider taking on some jobs," Makarov said slyly.

"Jobs?"

"Think of it, Fairy Tail's very own _She-Devil_." A light came to his eye.

 _This again?_ "Were you and Gildarts talking?"

He ignored her. "We'd be famous."

 _That means yes. Maybe all the Dreyar's are stupid._ Mira left him there without another word, furious all over again.

* * *

In Raven Tail's wide, echoing training hall, Laxus tightened his headlock around Curran and summoned a great force of lightning, enticing it to encompass his body. At such close range, Curran couldn't help but be affected. He screamed at first. When that stopped and the blood began to flow, a hole bitten through his tongue, Laxus let up. Good thing, too, he was exhausted. He'd used his magic today more than he had ever. His heart pounding let him know it was unhappy with the strain on his body.

"You alright, man?"

Curran stumbled away, ankles rolling on the blue matted floor, and garbled something incomprehensible.

"He's fine."

Ivan's voice was like ice in Laxus' veins. He straightened and found his father entering the training room, a stack of papers in his hand. Mail. Laxus' stomach took a dive for a new reason. He forgot about Curran and his gushing mouth, there wasn't anything to do about it anyway, and approached his father. "Do I have mail?"

Ivan glanced at Curran briefly as the man spat on the floor. "I think you should complete your training, Laxus, don't worry about silly things like that."

"We're done," Laxus replied.

"Curran is still standing. You're not done."

Laxus glanced in Curran's direction. He looked green. "He almost bit his tongue off." Or maybe he did. How the hell was he to know? Curran swayed and wiped his hand over his mouth. It came away red. He spat again on the floor.

"Finish him."

"He's done," Laxus repeated. "Do I have mail or not?"

"Not," Ivan replied. "Like I said you wouldn't. Now finish him."

 _Like I said._ To be fair, Mira didn't promise she'd write. Still… that sort of smarted. "Can I see?" Just to be sure. Not because he didn't believe his father.

There was an instant where Laxus thought Ivan would hit him. The storm of anger rolled by. Ivan said, "Finish Curran then you can come to my office and look."

"I told you—"

"And I told _you,"_ Ivan replied sharply. "You said you wanted to be stronger, right, Laxus? This is the first step. Put your opponents _on the ground_ so they can't get back up and come after you again. Prove to me that you're worth teaching."

"Dad—"

" _Finish him_."

Laxus bit back a torrent of curses and turned to Curran. The man was upright yet glaze-eyed. The stream of blood had slowed to a trickle. His chin was painted in it, though, as was the front of his shirt. A few spots even landed on his pants. Most of it was on the floor, adding to the myriad of other stains that marked the padded room.

"Are you good?"

"Of course he is," Ivan said for Curran. "I told you, if he's standing, he's an opponent, now attack."

 _Just do it. And be quick_. Laxus didn't allow himself to look at the blood and closed out the voice in his head that called for mercy. The best mercy he could offer was to make this quick. He balled his hand into a fist and aimed for Curran's jaw. Curran didn't block, too dazed, and stumbled back. But he was still vertical.

"With your _magic,_ Laxus," Ivan drawled.

With magic that felt too depleted for this kind of work. Laxus said, "I don't need it to finish the fight."

Ivan was as unyielding as a piece of granite. "You do because I tell you that you do."

Recognizing that stubbornness, Laxus thought, _Just do it. Get it over with._ He gritted his teeth and summoned as much power as he could. The next time he punched Curran, it was with enough volts that the man convulsed wildly before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He didn't fall until the current left his system. He stayed down, muscles twitching every few seconds.

Panting, Laxus turned and found his father. Ivan looked on, something _similar_ to pride in his eyes. He opened his mouth and said something that Laxus couldn't hear; his ears were roaring too badly. Laxus took a step forward. Black spots appeared in front of his eyes. The room chose that moment to spin violently. Bile climbed up his throat and kept on coming. Laxus fell to his knees and vomited, adding to the stained floor. Darkness claimed him before he could feel scared.

* * *

When Laxus came to again, he was in Raven Tail's small infirmary, chest aching, shirt torn open and he was bleeding. The cherry on the pie was the sharp smell of vinegar in his nose. He recalled the last time he was there. Then too he'd felt like shit and smelled like vomit.

A familiar looking man leaned over him, his jowls just as large now as they had been before, his crow's feet just as deeply etched, his eyes just as violently blue. And yes, his teeth just as sharp.

"There he is." His voice was raspy like sandpaper.

Since his recent encounter with a demon, Laxus had come to recognize the inhuman quality they possessed. This man exuded it. His heart sped. Adrenaline volleyed through his veins. Sitting up only brought on another wave of nausea, but there was no _way—_

"Relax, Laxus."

Laxus blinked. His father came into focus not so far away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The sour look that was perpetually on his face was for once gone, replaced now by worry.

"Dad," Laxus warned, "he's a demon."

"Zan is also a friend," Ivan said. "And the one that implanted your lacrima, remember? You can trust him."

Laxus' mouth went dry. He'd always assumed he'd hallucinated the man's peculiar appearance. He'd been drugged and drowsy that day. "You know?"

"Of course I know," Ivan replied. "Do you think I'm a fool?"

"No," Laxus said finally. "But why is it here?" _Why haven't you killed it_ is what he really wanted to ask. Beside him, the demon looked amused rather than insulted. Pity.

Ivan took in a short breath and said, "Your lacrima cracked because you haven't been using it as you were supposed to. As it was Zan that created it, he also agreed to try to fix it, which he did. We were fortunate that it was only a small break, otherwise you'd be dead. You owe him a thank you, not an inquisition."

Laxus bit back his next words.

"I'll say it for you. Thank you, Zan, and thank you for coming so quickly." Ivan crossed the room and took the creature by the shoulders like they were old friends. Just watching them together made Laxus sick all over again. "I'll be in contact."

"Very well. Goodbye, Dreyar."

The demon left through the door like any man might. As soon as it was closed, Laxus pegged his father with a scowl. "Why?"

Ivan turned on him slowly. "Why am I allying myself with a demon, Laxus? Because a smart man will use every available resource. A man that loves his family will crawl through the sludge to save it. I pride myself on being both."

"He's a _demon_ , Dad." Like his father didn't know what a demon was.

"Yes. I won't lie, dealing with him hasn't been my favourite thing, but he's saved your life, twice. It was his idea that brought us to your lacrima." Ivan came to the side of the bed and clasped Laxus' shoulder. "Judge me if you must, but I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant my son would be okay." His touches were even more infrequent than his sentimental words, and to have both at once was like being kicked in the guts. It also softened Laxus considerably. His anger was nearly gone.

"What kind of deal did you make with it?"

"Nothing so terrible. He wanted to know how the lacrima worked for you in preparation of using one on his own kind."

"I was a guinea pig." Just like that, the anger was back, Gramps' warnings so long ago looking like they were coming into fruition.

"You're all I have left, Laxus, I had _no other choice,_ " Ivan replied. "You were dying _._ I had to try _something_ , and Zan was _insistent_ that this would work. And look, he was right. No harm, no foul."

Laxus got quiet.

Ivan said, "Now you know why I push you so hard, boy. I want to hold up to my end of the bargain."

"But now there are going to be demons with lacrima like mine," Laxus said finally.

Ivan shook his head. "I wouldn't allow for that, either. I'm using Zan until you're strong enough on your own and it doesn't make sense anymore, and then we're going to set things right. We're going to strip him of the means to make these lacrima so that the world isn't overrun by this kind of power."

"We should just kill him now," Laxus said. "He can't have gotten far."

"We need him alive," Ivan rebuked. "If something were to go wrong with your lacrima again… he's the only one that knows how to fix it, Laxus. Be patient. Let things run their course. I promise when the time comes, we'll do the right thing." He patted Laxus shoulder. "Get some rest now."

Ivan was at the door when Laxus said, "Wait."

Ivan glanced back. "What is it?"

"The letters…"

Annoyance flicked over Ivan's face. It passed. "I'll bring them to you, Laxus. But I checked twice. There was nothing for you."

"I just want to see." _Just to be sure._

Ivan nodded. "Very well. And then you can forget about that girl and that guild and start living your life here."

* * *

Despite the absence of Mira's letter and against his father's wishes, Laxus wrote the next week. Seeing an issue of Sorcerer Weekly with Mira immortalized on the front ( _She-Devil, the first mage known to possess demon takeover, tells all in a one on one interview! Look inside to see what this ambitious teen sees for the future of her magic and the future of her guild!)_ gave him courage to write the next week as well, and onwards for three months before annoyance and busyness stole his inspiration. There was Sweet-grass and Cora, too. When he got stoned and kissed her, he didn't get so nervous he missed her mouth. As the months wore on and they snuck out into the forest to shuck off their clothes and sweat on each other like animals, he didn't tell her about his father. They didn't talk about being S Class mages. They didn't talk about things that they loved or things that they hated.

The only form of rumination Laxus allowed himself as the months bled into one year, and then two, was a collection of Sorcerer Weekly issues buried between his mattress.


	10. Chapter 10

Mira did her best to ignore the way her heart _thump, thump, thumped_ as she unbuttoned her dress with hands that shook just a bit too much. "Like this?" she asked when the dress was open past the bottom of her breasts.

"Exactly," came a torrid reply.

Mira rolled the word around in her mind. _Exactly._ Her plain, pink silk bra was well on display and she didn't know how she felt about it. Nervous and invigorated. Guilty. Gildarts, her seemingly perpetual chaperone was _very_ busy unchaperoning her by getting wasted in the bar next door, while she finished up her photoshoot. He didn't know that meant showing her hotter-than-hell photographer, the man that preened and fawned over her every chance he got since he started at Sorcerer Weekly three months before, more than she'd ever shown anyone else.

With his first advance weeks ago, his suggestion to do a shoot that was a little more adult, Mira didn't think she'd like it so much, but she couldn't deny the strange tingle down in her belly as she showed her underthings and Silas subsequently pressed hard against his pants. Every now and again the older man would drop his hand between his legs and shamelessly grab and adjust himself. And every time he did, Mira felt a twang of hot excitement that she didn't quite understand but was more than willing to feel, again and again and again.

He took her picture like that, and with the dress opened a bit more every time. When she felt comfortable, he took some from behind, too, while she lifted her dress, bent at the waist and winked at him in a way she'd never winked at _anyone_. Days after, he came in close and pushed her hair over her shoulder. He told her everything she wanted to hear in all the right ways. He kissed her and made love to her. The first time hurt. She didn't want to try it again. She did anyway because he promised it would be better. He didn't lie.

* * *

Laxus fingered his new tattoo, tracing the raw skin, lining the black edges that so thoroughly covered the puckered scar that ran down the center of his chest. Beneath the skin was his lacrima, buried deep enough that he couldn't feel its rounded edge, but every time he called magic, he _sensed_ it, taking whatever he gave and amplifying it sevenfold. Sometimes, he felt like a pretender, someone that wasn't nearly as good as he claimed to be. After all, without the lacrima, what would his magic be like? He dug his fingers into the still-sensitive scar and imagined cutting in and pulling it out. Then what?

And then he'd be just like everyone else.

No, thanks.

The door opened and Cora entered Laxus' single room. Despite the fact Laxus sat in the dark, she was illuminated by the light of a candle stabbed through the top of a chocolate cupcake smeared with blue icing. "Hey."

Laxus sat up, his bed squeaking beneath his weight, and fixed her with an incredulous stare. "What the hell is that?"

"Your birthday cake," she replied.

"Birthday cake?"

She flashed white teeth in his direction. "Yes. Well, cupcake. Nineteen is a big deal."

"Or not. No thanks."

"Oh, come on." She kicked the door closed behind her and came in, invading his personal space. Laxus let her get close because he felt too lethargic to do much else. The girl got between his legs and put the cupcake between them. The candle's heat played over Laxus' skin, hot enough that it was uncomfortable. He didn't move, feeling… disassociated. Cora swiped her finger through the blue sugar icing and rubbed it over his lips. He didn't lick them clean or take her finger into his mouth like she hoped. She wasn't deterred. Leaning in, she pressed their mouths together. _That_ Laxus responded to. Slowly. The sweet was too sweet, Cora's mouth too hot. He stopped.

"What is it?" Cora asked.

"I don't know," Laxus replied. Well… maybe that wasn't true. "Who's bite mark is on your ass?"

Cora stilled. "What?"

"You heard me. I saw it this morning." With her face pressed against the mattress and her ass up in the air, there hadn't been any hiding the dark blue bruise.

"It's probably yours," Cora said flippantly.

"Think I'd remember that," Laxus replied.

"Really? Because you were pretty wasted the other night." That was true enough. She looped her arm around his neck as he considered her. "Do you remember, 'Fuck, Cora, look at that perfect ass. Let me put it in. Come on.'" She did a pretty good impersonation, and the voice she used to relay her words was as hot as hell. Laxus felt his cock get hard despite himself.

"Don't fuck around, Cora."

"I'm not." She put the cupcake, candle still burning, on the bed beside him and got as close as she could, her breasts pushing against his chest, her hand dropping between his legs to caress his hard length. "But… if you want, we can reenact it, just so you can be sure."

Laxus thought about denying her. He'd been thinking about it for most of the day. That, and the birthday card that came in the mail from Gramps. Cora had given it to him that morning, going to the mail for Ivan when the man was waylaid with guild business. Laxus almost threw out the plain grey envelope with Fairy Tail's return address stamped in the upper left corner. It was the first he'd heard from the old man in years, and he wasn't sure he _wanted_ to read it. Curiosity was a powerful thing, though.

Tearing open the lip and peering into the envelope to the plain white card with three blue balloons tethered together with a red ribbon, he didn't know what he expected. _I'm sorry for ignoring you for years, Laxus? I'm sorry every time you called, I made sure to hang up abruptly? I'm sorry every one of your letters went into the garbage?_

There were only seven words on the inside of the card.

' _Happy birthday, Laxus. We miss you._

 _-Gramps'_

Cora grabbed the accenting zipper at the top of her black cotton dress and started tugging it down, distracting Laxus from his thoughts. "What do you say, birthday boy?" Her breasts revealed themselves slowly, full and soft. For the moment, Laxus banished Gramps and Fairy Tail, and his earlier suspicions.

He reached for the bottle of whisky on his plain pine dresser and cracked the lid. After a deep swallow he leaned back, propping himself up on his elbow. "…I think blowjob, and then you can show me how perfect your ass is."

Her smile was beatific. Laxus didn't feel much of anything other than horny. He worked to remedy that. Drunk was pretty good, too.

* * *

When his alarm went off the next morning, Laxus cracked a bleary eye and saw the clock read four thirty, which really equated to too early. His head spun and his guts churned. There was an instant where he wished he'd been a little more responsible. That was the Laxus that hadn't been balls deep in a gasping Cora. That was the Laxus that still cared what his father thought. That was the Laxus who was prideful. It turned out pride was his Achilles heel. It's what dragged him out of bed, away from the girl beside him. It's what made him stumble to the washroom and splash cold water on his face. It's what made him swallow again and again, fighting a wave of nausea. And lastly, it's what made him dress and head for the training hall.

It was empty as of yet. Laxus changed his destination and put his father's office in his sights. Raven Tail's dark walls were illuminated by dimmed pot lights. The concrete floor, peppered with filigree raven feathers and the birds themselves, echoed his footfalls. Laxus' head pounded with every step gained.

Despite the early hour, his father's light was on. Laxus knocked and entered upon hearing Ivan's abrupt "Come."

His father was sitting at his desk, coffee in one hand, a report in the other. He barely lifted his gaze. "You look like shit."

"Good to see you too, Dad." Or not, because the light in here was much, much brighter than the light in the hall. Laxus closed his eyes and listened to his father noisily sip his coffee. "You weren't in the training hall."

"No,' Ivan agreed. "I wasn't. But it looks like you aren't in any state to train anyway."

"I'm fine," Laxus replied.

There was a split second of silence, then Laxus was doused with something scalding hot. It was followed shortly by a hard object hitting him square in the chest. Even as he backpedaled, an automatic reaction, his eyes flew open. Just in time to do nothing. He slammed hard into his father's wall cabinet. In an attempt to catch himself, he stuck out a grasping hand. He caught box instead of shelf and went tumbling to the ground anyway. The box capsized and fell with him, a ton of crisp white paper floating down like the most awkward and ugly snow. The smell of coffee filled his nose. Broken porcelain bit into his hand. Slowly, he came to realize what happened.

"Fine? _Heh_ ," Ivan snorted. "You can't even dodge a cup of coffee when it comes your way. You're useless. Sleep it off. When you're ready, we'll go over the basics of discipline, Laxus. Maybe you'll remember not to drink so heavily when you have important obligations."

Laxus was only half listening, his attention caught on the blood he was leaving behind—his hand was really bleeding—and the crisp white envelopes it dotted. Pages with _Mirajane Strauss_ stenciled on the front in familiar handwriting.

"There was a while there where I thought you were taking this seriously. I thought you knew what was at stake, but I was wrong—"

Laxus cut into his father's rant. "What is this?" He lifted one of the red-soaked envelopes.

Silence, then in an indifferent voice, Ivan said, "What does it look like?"

"Letters that were supposed to be sent to Fairy Tail," Laxus said when he could. "You told me you mailed them."

"And then I decided to not." Ivan was totally unapologetic.

Laxus picked up another at random. _Mirajane Strauss,_ it read, _Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Magnolia._ He found another identical to the rest. " _None_ of them made it into the mail?"

"Of course not," Ivan replied.

Laxus squeezed his fingers, crushing the letter. "Why? Why would you do that?"

His answer was simple. "To protect you. I told you she was trouble. I told you demons were hunting her. There is a price on that girl's head, and whether its collected today or tomorrow or three years from now, _it will be collected,_ and anyone that surrounds her will be exterminated in the process. Sending your letters was signing your death warrant, Laxus. How could you expect your father to do that?"

Laxus got clumsily to his feet. "You _lied_ to me."

"To protect you," Ivan said. "And I'd do it again."

Laxus shook his head despite the way it made the world turn. "I never needed protecting."

" _Because I trained you to take care of yourself,_ " Ivan said convincingly. "Something that wouldn't have happened if I didn't make the _right choices_ for your future. Without me, you would have died when you were just a boy."

Laxus couldn't say one way or the other so he said nothing. He couldn't look at his father anymore, though. He turned and headed awkwardly toward the door, plucking his shirt away from his body. It was wet and cold.

"Clean up this mess, Laxus," Ivan said at his back.

"Clean it up yourself, I'm out of here."

"That's not how this works." Ivan's hand closed on Laxus' shoulder, tugging him around. Laxus' reaction was knee-jerk and violent as anger took over. He didn't know he'd hit his father until his knuckles ached and Ivan was stumbling back, caught off guard. Unable to stop himself, he punched again. Ivan's eye immediately blacked and swelled. Laxus felt an intense thread of pleasure. It was flattened before he truly had a chance to enjoy it, beaten out of him by a swinging fist. His nose burst with blood. It doused his front and leaked down the back of his throat. Hit again, his teeth made mince out of his lip. Another attack found the side of his head, and then Laxus hit the ground. Behind his eyes exploded with bright light. That sensation bled in with the next: a steel toed boot hammering into his ribs. Something popped.

The beating only stopped when Laxus was no longer able to protect himself. Distantly, he heard Ivan hiss, "If you want out so badly, I'll even pack your bags, Laxus."

Unconsciousness didn't allow Laxus to respond.

* * *

Waking up on snow-dusted concrete in the middle of a dark alley, lying in a puddle of blood and vomit, was _not_ on Laxus' to-do list. The world very rarely ever gave him what he wanted, it seemed. All around chimed with voices, loud, obnoxious. The blow of a whistle confirmed his location: the train station. His head _throbbed,_ a pain that worsened with every child's scream, every mother's scold, every fathers laugh. Through dark lashes, he dared to peer at his surroundings. A cigarette doused in last night's whisky was only inches from his nose. The taste of bile was all he could focus on. That and the burning in his sinuses. And his throat. And the sound of boots scuffing over concrete, coming to a halt somewhere close at his back.

"Don't touch him, Jordan."

"What if he's dead?"

"So what? Good riddance. Get away from him now. Don't look."

 _Don't look._

"But Mom—do you think he's homeless? Look at his bag. I bet that's what it is. Do you think we should help him?"

"Enough. Come now."

Laxus rolled over on his back just in time to see a little boy in a black and white plaid coat getting tugged away by his mother, a woman in a long white coat trimmed with fox fur. The boy saw Laxus. Concern and disgust warred for position on his cold-bitten chubby cheeks. Concern won out. The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. What kind of child carried gold? The kind whose mother wore a white fox fur coat, evidently. He threw the coin with erring accuracy. It landed out of Laxus' reach. He didn't bother thanking the kid, or telling him off, or even grabbing the coin. He closed his eyes.

The next time he opened them was because someone else was coming near. _Two_ someone's, actually, judging by the sound of their boots.

"It's real," one of them said. The voice belonged to a pre-pubescent boy.

"Take it."

"What if its his?"

"I think he's dead, so who cares?"

"Really? You think he's dead? Should we call the cops?"

"Grab the gold, then we'll talk about the cops. Hurry."

Laxus opened his eyes for real. The pain he felt made him feel nauseous all over again. The taste in his mouth didn't help any. He rolled over on his aching side and spat up again, ribs _aching_. The boys screamed and scurried away, their prize left exactly where it was.

Laxus heaved until he couldn't then got sort of vertical. The best he could do for five whole minutes was his knees. He bent over, breathing shallowly out of his mouth, waiting for the moment he felt good to snort blood and worse things out of his nose. Then he stood. With a lot of help from the alley's wall. His feet were frozen, so was his back and his sides. And his hands. He stripped his ruined shirt off and found a square that _wasn't_ totally wrecked and used it to mop his face off as best he could. Then he grabbed up the bag his father deigned to leave him and took himself inside the train station just as the sky opened up in another snow squall.

Inside he garnered a lot of attention. Some people gasped, some turned their eyes to the floor, some asked questions like, "Are you alright?"

Laxus didn't answer any of them. The only thing on his mind was getting into the washroom, using the communal shower in there, and then seeing what he had in terms of clothes. Then… then he was getting the fuck out of there.

 _Where are you going to go? And_ how _?_ He patted his pockets and couldn't even find a copper. A memory came to him: the little boy throwing a piece of gold his way. He altered his plans, braving the cold one more time to get the coin. It was going to buy his passage to Magnolia.

* * *

The wind cut straight through Laxus' wool sweater as he hobbled up the giant hill toward Fairy Tail. Clutching his arms around his middle did very little to hold out the wind. He gritted his teeth and bore it, convincing himself he'd dealt with worse. Thinking that didn't change the fact that it was colder in Magnolia than it had been in Trinity where Raven Tail was located.

He walked as fast as he could, not eager to get into Fairy Tail, but eager to get the hell out of the wind. With every step, he worried more and more, wondering what he'd say when he entered. If Gramps would turn him away. If Mira would ignore him. If he'd field a million questions about his state, and what he'd say to explain the broken noise, fat lip, broken ribs and mild concussion—he was _sure_ that's what the spells of dizziness and nausea that had followed him all the way onto the train and into Magnolia equated to.

A voice called out behind him. "Laxus?"

With the body of a rusty tin man, Laxus turned. Despite his truncated movements, it was still too fast. Everything blurred, the trees choked with snow merging as one, the road blurring, the fence disintegrating into monochromatic colour. Blinking didn't dispel the dizziness. He stumbled and fought to catch himself. His foot hit a lump of snow and then he was falling. Falling. Falling into nothing. His head cracked against the road. He was unconscious again before he could feel how much that hurt.

* * *

Chocolate cherry tobacco dragged Laxus from a dark place. And voices.

"I thought I told you to put that out?"

"And I thought I told you that it wasn't going to happen?"

"I'm the attending medical advisor and I say that not only is that _gross_ , Makarov, you're going to kill the boy."

"He won't look any worse, will he?"

Porlyusica's disgruntled _harrumph_ was not something easily mimicked. Laxus knew her identity based on that alone. His responding groan was reflex. His father had more bedside manner. _Don't think about him._ If he did, he was angry all over again.

"If you're well enough to be bemoaning, you're well enough to be opening your eyes. Up, boy, so I can have a proper look at you."

Laxus cracked his eye and glared at Porlyusica first. Gramps after. Both were a little greyer. Both were a little more wrinkled. What surprised Laxus most was how he was a little bit happy to see them.

"Do your examination while he's on the couch, Porlyusica," Makarov said. "Can't you see he's hurt?"

"Of course I can, but I need to do a _proper_ assessment," the woman replied sharply. To Laxus she said again, "Up. And get rid of the sweater."

Laxus took in a shallow breath and did as she asked, pushing himself up off of a short black leather couch—it was a new addition to the office, replacing the chair that had been there forever—then getting his shirt off his body. It was harder than putting it on had been. He had to stop halfway through to catch his breath and ward off another urge to throw up on himself. Porlyusica waited patiently. When Laxus was done and Makarov had finished swearing about his tattoo, the woman came into Laxus' space and prodded him with cold and calculating hands that dug into his ribs and felt around mercilessly. "Two broken bones," she announced upon her examination. "And then there's his nose. Not to mention the concussion, and the obvious hematomas."

Makarov's face darkened. He puffed more furiously on his pipe. "Tell me what happened, Laxus."

Laxus imagined spilling everything. It didn't take much to realize shame was going to keep him tight-lipped. "Just had a bad fight."

Makarov sucked on his teeth. It was obvious he didn't buy the story. Porlyusica, though, rolled her eyes. "You humans. Always fighting amongst yourselves, causing so much destruction and trouble. Makes me not want to do much of anything for you, you do this to yourselves."

"Porlyusica." Makarov's voice was full of warning.

The woman _harrumphed_ again and turned to her medical bag on the floor. "I said it makes me not want to, not that I wouldn't." She re-emerged with bandages and ointments and cleaning swabs and set to work. "I'll do what I can for the bones, but they'll take time. Don't go horsing around. You should rest for at least two weeks..."

"Two weeks?" Laxus asked.

Porlyusica paused and appraised him. "At least."

"I can't sit around for that long." _Dad will flip—_ The thought withered. In its wake, he felt adrift. If he didn't have jobs and hours of grueling training to look forward to, what _did_ he have? There was no Cora to distract him. He had no cash. No sweet grass. No whisky. Just him and his thoughts.

"Actually, I think you can and will, if you want to heal," Porlyusica said with finality.

Laxus fell into silence. Long minutes passed like that, in which Porlyusica bound his ribs tight, Makarov smoked liberally, and Laxus breathed shallowly, wincing every time his ribs twanged. Porlyusica adjusted his nose when she was through on his midsection and taped it in place. "Stay awake for twenty-four hours. Then, get all the sleep you can. That's going to hurt healing." She dusted off her hands. "If that's all… I'll visit again in a few days to change the bandages. Keep a cold compress on your nose when you can. Might help with the swelling." That was all the advice she offered before she gathered her belongings and left without so much as a goodbye.

Quiet filled the room.

Makarov was the first to break it. "What really happened, Laxus?"

"I told you, bad fight." Laxus moved stiffly, trying to get his sweater back in place.

"I see that. With whom?"

Laxus waved him off. "Just some guy."

"You expect me to believe that horseshit?"

"You think I'm lying?" Laxus asked.

"Yes, in fact, I do," Makarov replied. "I think you're trying to protect your father. But Laxus, when I saw you going up that hill, you were half-dead. There's no need to protect him when he treats you like that." The old man's voice shook with a kind of fury Laxus had never witnessed before. It made him love him and it made him hate him. It made him wonder if Makarov was going to call Ivan and find out Laxus' secret. It made him wonder if Makarov would do what he always threatened and march on Raven Tail. It made him wonder which guild would be the victor, or if they'd both be in jail when the battle was through. The Magic Council wasn't known for its forgiveness. He told Makarov the same line again.

"It was just a bad fight. Forget about it."

"Laxus…"

Laxus distracted him with something else. "Can I stay?"

"And rejoin the guild?" Makarov asked tentatively.

Laxus nodded.

"I would never turn you away, Laxus. Your room is as you left it."

"Thanks, Gramps," Laxus said as soon as he could get the words around the lump in his throat. "Where's Mira?"

"Oh… on a job. She'll be back shortly, I assume," the man said. "Pity. Until you showed up, it's been quiet without her. My guild hall has gone four days without either her or Erza thrown through it."

* * *

"Thought you had to be careful about that concussion?" Cana asked.

Laxus smirked. "That was days ago," Three to be exact. "But I get it, you're scared you can't keep up. We can call it quits."

"Forget it. You're on, Dreyar," Cana said sloppily from the stool across from him. She was already seven stolen drinks in and more than a little drunk. She was louder than the last time Laxus saw her. And packing more up front and behind, too. And much more willing to show it off in spite of the cold weather, spilling out of a long-sleeved black shirt. Her pants were so tight, they looked painted on. Her black thong lifted out of the back when she leaned forward on the beer-soaked bar.

"Master is going to be mad if he catches you drinking again, Cana," Erza said from two stools away.

" _Gods_ , Erza. Don't you have _any fun?_ " Cana grabbed her and manhandled her into the stool right at her side despite the redhead's vocal objections. When they were side-to-side, Cana lifted her beer glass and pressed it into Erza's lips. Laxus didn't know if Erza drank any of it. She definitely wore it, though. Her white sweater went see-through, showing off the blue bra beneath. Erza sputtered and cussed, pushing Cana aside and shattering Laxus brief and lewd daydream. She rose and flipped Cana off, then left without another word.

"What a grouch," Cana said nonchalantly. "Now what are we going to do, it's just us?"

Pushing Cora from his mind was easy, she was a thousand miles away, belonging to a different life Laxus wasn't in much of a rush to go back to. "I can think of a lot of things two people can do together."

"And what about three?" asked a new and _almost_ familiar voice. It was a lot rougher than the last time he heard it, full of sultry promises.

Laxus looked back over his shoulder. His heart did a weird flop when he saw her snowy hair, fuller-than-he-remembered chest, and strawberry-red mouth. Her nose was kissed by the wind, as was her cheeks, her freckles standing out on both. "Mira."

Her smile wasn't kind. It was as sharp as blades. "Laxus. I see you are alive." She didn't wait for his response. To the bartender she called, "Let's get some drinks here."

"Fuckin' eh, Mira," Cana chirruped.

The busty woman at the other end paused in handing Macao his beer. "Sorry, Mirajane. Master Makarov told me not to serve you. Or you, Cana. Don't think I haven't seen you sneaking drinks. Better cut it out."

Cana gasped in a dramatic breath. "I wouldn't do that."

The woman rolled her eyes and faced Macao again. Determined to milk the night for all the fun it was worth, Laxus reached over the bar and swiped a bottle of whisky. The only person that saw was Gildarts, and all he did was laugh and say, "You're playing with fire, kid."

In the best way. Laxus turned away. "Come on."

Cana and Mira followed. The hard edge to the takeover mage's smile never left.


	11. Chapter 11

On Fairy Tail's porch without a jacket, only the moon reflecting off the snow offered light. Laxus leaned against the snowy balcony as casually as he knew how and cracked open the bottle of whisky he'd pilfered. It was aged twelve years in oak barrels and burned his nose when he smelled it. Choking it back, it was as smooth as anything he'd ever tasted, a little sweet, a little sharp at the end. He didn't appreciate it as much as someone else with a more defined palate would have, the subtle flavors that made it not a twenty-dollar bottle but a seventy. He needed it to do one thing for him. Well, maybe two. Get him drunk. Convince Cana and Mira to take his night somewhere fantastic.

Cana wrapped her arms around her body and came to his side, shivering slightly. He could see the goose bumps on her bare chest and even climbing up her neck. "Crap it's cold."

"Here," Laxus handed her the whisky. "It'll warm you up."

"Thanks." Cana took it and drank a huge gulp. It was too much; Laxus didn't tell her to slow down, not wanting to be the only one drunk. Mira took the bottle next and smelled it first, delicate nose scrunching up, red-painted lips pursing. Her blue eyes, darkly lined in kohl, flicked up to meet Laxus' before she threw her head back and took a large mouthful. She didn't shiver or balk like she used to, she took it like she did it more often than not. Finished, she passed it back to him.

"Do you think Master will notice it missing?" Cana asked.

"Probably." Mira wicked away moisture at the corner of her mouth. Watching her movements brought back the memory of leaning in and kissing her three years before. It had been a mess, a sloppy and terrible kiss at best. The thought now made him want to laugh instead of flush. He watched Mira cross her arms beneath her chest. The black shirt she wore was clingy and soft looking, not warm enough to be out in the snow. On her legs were a pair of tights, redder than sin, and tall black boots, complete with silver buckles. They seemed like the kind of thing that was painful to get on, but they looked good.

Mira asked, "So, Laxus, when did you get into town?"

With her question, Laxus found her eyes again. "Three days ago."

Mira nodded. "That's nice." Her words were less than sincere. "It's been what… three years?"

"Something like that." Give or take. He was on the verge of apologizing for his absence and his lack of letters. The words got jammed up. He felt stupid saying it, especially with Cana there. _Maybe we can just forget about it_. Roll on, start again.

"S-Class yet?" Mira asked.

"Soon," Laxus replied. "You?" He knew the answer was no but he wanted to keep the conversation going.

"Soon." Mira took the bottle back from Laxus without giving it to Cana. The brunette complained and came for her, sloppily falling into her arms. She didn't pursue the alcohol for long after that, seemingly comfortable and placated with Mira's arm around her waist and her head on Mira's shoulder.

Laxus looked at the perfect heart their bodies made. They looked nice together; only an idiot could deny that. His body stirred, making him suddenly thankful for the low light.

Mira drank more. "You get into a fight?" she asked when she'd swallowed.

Laxus resisted the urge to touch his still fat lip (it looked better now, but that assessment was marginal at best) and his bruised temple. He didn't look away from Mira, ashamed with his pathetic loss but too enthralled with Cana's hand migrating over Mira's hip to the swell of her behind. "Just a scrap."

"Scrap, eh? Looks like you had your ass handed to you pretty good. I hope that's not a reflection of your training." She was unapologetic saying it, Laxus still didn't drop his gaze. Not that he imagined he could, he was caught in her eyes, sapphire and gold irises that were mostly swallowed by the black of her dilated pupil. The anger he thought he'd feel getting prodded like that was dull at best.

"You going to take care of me?"

Mira snorted right along with Cana and handed him the bottle. "Drink."

Well… that wasn't a no. Laxus smile widened. He did as she said, enjoying his front-row seat as Cana got braver and braver with each inch gained that Mira didn't scold for.

"What does that smile mean, Laxus?" Mira asked in a scalding voice.

Laxus felt his lip twang, unhappy with the grin on his face. He couldn't help but ask, "Still like girls, Mira?"

Mira's eyes flashed by the light of the moon. Her teeth showed in a grin that was cruel. "Sometimes."

"When they're me." Cana laughed and kissed Mira's throat lightly, just a peck, really. Mira held her tighter.

There wasn't any helping the hardening between Laxus' legs. "And guys?"

"Sometimes."

That was more than enough for him.

* * *

Despite all the stories he'd read in Sorcerer Weekly building Mira into a force to be reckoned with, with her pressed into his chest, face tipped to the starry sky, Laxus had a hard time viewing her that way. All he could see was a soft girl, skin raised in goose bumps, cheeks rosy, breasts spilling out of her clingy shirt. She was as small as ever, except everywhere that counted. She fit against him even with Cana attached to her body. It had been a struggle to get her this close, she'd shied away for most of the night until the bottle was more than halfway gone and Cana had dragged her in, spouting some garbage about it being warm there. Maybe it was; Laxus couldn't feel much of anything—not the cold, not his ever-aching ribs, not the pain that was his face when he spoke, his lip still split open.

Laxus laughed in the right places, told the right stories and got out of both Mira and Cana tales of their own. Nothing too personal—Laxus tried to keep it light and was rewarded for his efforts when Cana tried all on her own to kiss a laughing Mirajane. Her lips never landed on Mira's directly, but they were getting close. Laxus didn't encourage it, nor did he _discourage_ it, determined to let things take their course.

Hours passed in a blur, faster than he could rightly gauge. It wasn't until the moon sank in the sky, peeping out now and again beneath a roving blanket of clouds, that Laxus asked, "Want to take it inside?" His room was a mess, but what else was new? There was at least a quarter of a forty of whisky in his veins; he was more than drunk enough not to care.

Mira's free hand went around his waist, her face tipped up so she could meet his eyes. As candidly as he'd ever heard, she said, "Hm…. No." She laughed.

"No?" Laxus pulled her tighter to his body.

Mira laid her hands against his chest and kept some distance. More soberly she said, "No, Laxus."

He loosened his hold on her and Cana respectively but said teasingly, "Shy?"

There was a moment in which he thought yes. Then she said, "I just have standards."

"Harsh," Laxus said when his mind had caught up with the insult.

Mira poked him in the chest right over his panging scar—it hated the cold—all of a sudden righteous. "What's harsh is disappearing for three years without a word to your grandfather and then showing up again and acting like everything is fine."

She spoke of Gramps, but Laxus had seen enough women scorned to know what that expression on her face meant. "You're sore I didn't write you?"

"I'm sore you're such an asshat," Mira said sharply. "Tell him how out of his mind Master Makarov was, Cana."

Cana took a step back and held up her hands. "Hey, I just came out here to drink, not referee."

Laxus ignored Cana. "That's between me and Gramps, but if you want an apology, Mira, all you had to do was—"

His facetious tone wasn't fooling her. Her scowl darkened. She looked a little meaner, a little more like the She-Devil Sorcerer Weekly was so enamored with. "Shut up."

Laxus felt the influx of her power and yo-yoed between awe and slight fear. He thought he could take little Mirajane Strauss. Sober. _She's drunk, too_. Yeah, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were red. Alcohol only seemed to add to her fury, though. Add to that she wasn't sporting some broken ribs… who knew how the altercation would go? "Listen, Mira…" He didn't know how to tell her about the letters. He knew how to do it in front of Cana even less.

He needn't worry, Mira steamrolled his weak attempt. "When do you go back to Raven Tail?"

"I'm not."

Mira faltered over the admission—it hadn't been what she was expecting. However, like molten silver, she hardened again. Winter's windy fingers picked at her hair, coaxing it into a frenzy and leaving behind flakes of glittering snow. She looked like some kind of wraith, all contrasting colours, white so white it was blinding, black so black, shadow was jealous, red so red, blood looked dull. "That's a shame." She turned and started toward the door. Cana hesitated for a split second, then followed her.

"Wait." Laxus reached for Mira.

Mira batted his hand aside. Magic leapt from her skin into his, pricking hot. "Don't touch me."

Laxus didn't rub his hand, though he wanted to. He watched after her until the door closed with great finality. At a loss, too stubborn to go after her and too proud to head inside just yet, he slugged back another huge mouthful of whisky. It suddenly tasted like shit. He ended up throwing the rest of the bottle over the side of the balcony. It landed somewhere in the snow two stories below.

He stayed outside until he was too cold to feel anything, entering again only when Makarov peeked his head out and barked something Laxus didn't remember.

* * *

Mira stopped in front of her room and leaned against the wall. Behind the closed door, Lisanna and Elfman slept, she could hear her brother's snores coming through the wood. Long ago, they stopped waking up when she would come in late. She still tried to be quiet to keep up appearances. Lisanna pretended she was a better role model than what she was, and most of the times, Elfman pretended that he didn't know what she was doing when she was out past midnight.

Hands still tangled together, Cana leaned against her, too close for her intentions to be misconstrued. For now, Mira let it happen, drunk and wanting something to distract from her fury. Trapped between the wall and a warm body wasn't so bad, even if it wasn't the body she really wanted. At least, that's what she told herself. Not as often as she should that night, trapped between Laxus and Cana, she thought about Silas, who she left behind at Sorcerer Weekly that afternoon with nothing but a chaste kiss to hold him off for the next few days because Gildarts wanted more drinks than he had money to buy and was lurking around.

Cana rubbed her thumb over the plump part of Mira's hand. "Do you think you were kind of mean to him?"

"Laxus?" Mira asked, though she knew perfectly well who Cana meant.

"I know you're mad after he left, but you didn't have to lead him on for quite so long," Cana scolded her gently. Even in the darkness, Mira knew that she was smiling.

"I was actually having fun," Mira admitted. She bit her lips together, wondering if she said too much.

Cana's smile only grew. In a huskier voice she said, "You know, just because we ditched Laxus doesn't mean we have to call it a night. Do you want to come back to my room?"

Chills rolled down Mira's spine as she imagined what the girl meant. When she looked into Cana's heavy-lidded honey coloured eyes, she knew that it wasn't gossip and drinking that she had on her mind. It was the same every time. She hadn't kissed her since that day years ago but every time they got together, especially when alcohol was involved, Cana got more forward. Mira was afraid that one day, Cana was going to kiss her without being polite, bringing her into unfamiliar territory and then waiting for Mira to take the extra step. _And if you did? Then what?_ She still didn't really know how she felt about it, despite all the time she had to adjust to the idea. Every time she let her mind wander some, she remembered that sunny fall day, Nathan leaning toward her, red faced and full of hate, screaming ' _Dyke_ ,' like it was something completely awful.

 _That_ was a sobering thought. "Good night, Cana." Mira attempted to wriggle from her grasp. Cana had a tight hold on her waist.

"Why not? I have more whisky." Her mouth was only inches away, so close that Mira could feel the girl's hot breath tickling her lips.

"Silas," Mira spat out, hoping his name served as an answer.

Cana leaned her forehead against Mira's and _hummed_. "Still?"

"Yes, still." It had been months and nothing had changed.

"I told you I saw him with that model—"

Yes, she had. "He said they were just doing a shoot."

"That's not how it looked to me," Cana replied.

Mira chewed her cheek, annoyed. It wasn't the first rumor she'd heard floating around town but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was harder when she had her friends telling her the same thing. "I gotta go to bed. I have a small job tomorrow afternoon and—"

"When are you going to ditch that douche, Mira?" Cana sounded both annoyed _and_ jealous.

"Pardon?"

Most people would have balked at her tone, but not drunk, lackadaisical and righteous Cana. "You heard me. Give someone your time that'll appreciate it, not some shitty photographer that just wants private titty shots."

Mira felt her mouth dry up. "How would you know that?"

"Because _all_ of the girls he takes photos of have shown Silas Grant their tits. I get it, he's hot as fuck, but Mira—"

"I have to go to bed." Mira jerked out of her grasp and slipped into her room without waiting for a reply.

Inside, Elfman was sitting up in his bed, the covers down around his waist. At twelve, he was thicker and taller than most of the boys around his age. He had their father's genes. Looking at him made Mira's heart hurt sometimes, especially now, when she was a little too drunk and the lights were too low to see clearly. When he was older, the resemblance would be even more striking, but for now, she could blink furiously and mostly dismiss the ghosts of her past.

"Was that Cana, Mira?"

"Yeah, Elfman. Go back to bed."

"Were you with Laxus, too?"

Mira didn't want to think about Laxus standing on the balcony alone, drunk and more than a little mislead. _Maybe that's your own fault._ For leaning into him and smiling and laughing, falling right back into the way things used to be before she had the courage to get mad. She could still feel his body pressing into hers if she closed her eyes and tried. That memory volleyed for position beside Cana's. Confused all over again, Mira imagined fisting her hands in her hair and pulling it. Not that it would give her any answers. She imagined instead walking back out to the balcony and listening to Laxus, getting to know him again. Maybe it would be easy. Maybe they could pick up where they left off and try that shitty kiss one more time.

Or maybe she'd walk over to Fairy Hills and find Cana and take her up on her offer. Lie on her cloud-blue comforter and do similar things with her as she did with Silas.

Or maybe she should just think about the guy she was already intimate with.

"Mira?"

Mira shook herself. "Yeah, Elfman. I was with Laxus."

"Is he back forever now?"

She didn't know how to answer that. "Not likely." Not Laxus, who was away more than he was there. Not Laxus, who would rather continue his life in Raven Tail and forget all about Fairy Tail. _Then why is he back? Because he needs something_? She felt guilty for the thought. Guilt didn't mean she dismissed it.

More astute now than ever before, Elfman asked, "Are you still mad at him?"

Absolutely. She'd never confide in her brother, though. "Goodnight, Elfman."

"Mira—"

"You're going to wake up Lisanna, goodnight."

Never mind that Lisanna was already stirring. Mira found a nightdress and changed, then slithered beneath her sheets before she was asked any other hard questions she didn't know how to answer.

* * *

The next morning, opening his eyes, Laxus stared up at the ceiling of his used-to-be-familiar room and focused on being absolutely still. He managed not to move for a solid five minutes, basking in the glow of a migraine the size of a mountain that was pushing at the place behind his eyes. He knew he was going to have to rise sooner rather than later, his bladder was full and his stomach was letting him know that he'd overdone it, but he took the few moments that he could.

Finally, when he could procrastinate no longer, he swung his feet out of bed. The light wood floor was shockingly cold. There was no walking to the washroom, there was stumbling, and tripping and lastly, crawling across the white-tiled bathroom floor that extra few feet. The side of the toilet was cool, the porcelain thankfully clean, though by then, sweating and sick, Laxus wouldn't have cared what it was like.

He heaved until he couldn't, ribs screaming with the abuse, and then a bit more, too. He didn't appreciate the whisky last night; nothing changed on its return visit. Except maybe now he kind of hated it.

When he was able, Laxus wiped his mouth and flushed the toilet. Then he tried getting to his feet. It was easier this time around but it was still a celebration when he could pee standing up.

* * *

The guild was too loud; Laxus couldn't imagine gathering the energy to get out, though. He sat at his old table with a coffee in one hand, a cigarette he'd swiped out of Gildarts' pack when he was looking the other way in the other. Unlit, he rolled the crisp white cylinder between his thumb and forefinger, still too sick to consider smoking it but well enough to imagine in a few hours he _could._ He sipped his coffee. Even that turned his stomach.

"You're looking a little rough."

Laxus lifted his gaze and found Cana. Looking up meant getting assaulted by the bright overhead lights. It also meant that he saw Mira coming down the stairs, too, washed and brushed and changed into something too tight and too small. Distracting, really. For just a moment, his hangover lessened. Then Cana nudged his arm and it came back as vicious as before.

"Eh?"

"I _said,_ you're looking rough. Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yeah." Laxus waved her off.

"Well, Master says Porlyusica is here to change your bandages."

"Mmhm." He drank more of his coffee and watched Mira go to Gildarts. She leaned too close to him, smiled too much. Flirted shamelessly, actually, and only eased off some when the man flushed and she was laughing. "Is she always like that?"

Cana followed his gaze to Mira. Her mouth tipped into a slight frown. "Is she always flirting you mean? I just think she likes to see them squirm. She's caught up on some stupid photographer and won't leave him."

"Mira is?" Looking at her now, hand on Gildarts' shoulder, saucy and mean smile on her mouth, he wouldn't believe it.

"Why, Laxus, jealous?" Cana teased.

Jealous wasn't exactly right. Miffed that she shot him down so thoroughly. It wasn't very often that happened and he was unused to rejection. "Nope. Just curious."

"Sure thing." She slapped him on the shoulder. The sensation ran all the way down his body and into his tender ribs. "Don't forget Porlyusica's here." Cana left his side and went to Gildarts.

Eyes on the well-worn table, Laxus sipped a little more of his coffee. This time, his stomach gurgled and he wondered if that was a sign that he was going to be sick again. The sensation passed. He didn't try to drink again, though, deciding that he was suddenly unenthralled. In the interest of getting the worst part of his day done and over with, he tucked his swiped cigarette behind his ear. Getting vertical again was tricky and walking straight was even more of a shit-show. If he didn't know better, he was still a little bit drunk. He only stumbled into a running Natsu, who was just as rail-thin as the last time they'd seen each other. The kid yelled something high-pitched and challenging; Laxus ignored him.

Passing Mira at the bar (gods, he could _still_ smell beer), he was careful to keep his eyes away from her, faintly remembering the way she jerked out of his grasp last night. _Would she have, if you told her about those letters?_ It wasn't right then, though, not with Cana there and Mira feigning having a good time. _The_ whole _time?_ He wasn't sure, he didn't know her well enough anymore. And he didn't want to think about it, either. Embarrassment wasn't something he courted gracefully. He had his father's pride. Pity, he didn't want much of anything from that man.

Gramps' office was unlocked, though the door was closed. Laxus didn't bother knocking, further wanting to distance himself from his father—courtesy like that was something Ivan would demand. Pipe smoke _whooshed_ by, pungent and gross. Feeling sicker than ever, Laxus debated on turning right around and saying _fuck it_. He found his grandfather then, standing by the window looking out at the snow-covered world. Huge snowflakes were falling from the sky again, giving the Fairy Tail grounds a snow globe feel.

Makarov turned away from the window and regarded him. "You could knock."

"You could ask me to come in here yourself," Laxus replied, more curtly than necessary.

Makarov's responding glower was something to strive toward, well-practiced and well-used. Movement from the left of the room stoppered the old man's response. Porlyusica, tall and thin and cranky as ever, stepped from the shadow, her medical bag of pain in hand.

"Laxus."

"Porlyusica."

She shuffled across the room, more than ready to get down to business. "How are your ribs?"

"Sore."

"From doing too much, I hear."

"I haven't done anything," Laxus complained.

"Too much moving around. Too much laughing. Too much drinking." Her no-nonsense tone was like sandpaper on his migraine.

"So too much fun?" Laxus said dryly.

"If that's what you call fun, then yes, I suppose so," Porlyusica responded. "I didn't say ' _take it easy'_ just to waste my breath."

Drowning in gross smelling smoke, Laxus couldn't even consider continuing the argument, he just wanted to get out of there.

Porlyusica set her bag on the floor and took out a roll of gauze. "Take off your shirt, let's see those ribs."

"Can we go—"

"Don't waste my time, Laxus Dreyar," the woman snapped.

Laxus found himself hurrying to do as she said if only to avoid her wrath and get out of the stuffy office sooner. Getting his shirt off was easier today; he gave in and opted for a black button-down when his ribs just wouldn't quiet this morning. Four aspirin later, they were still screaming, only not so loud now.

Porlyusica made quick work of the bandages, snipping them away with sharp scissors. As she worked, Makarov tamped down his pipe. His sure movements stalled as the communication lacrima on his desk lit up green. It buzzed and buzzed, magic radiating from its surface.

Laxus looked away from the colourful display his ribs had become and watched his grandfather watch the orb, a sour look on his face. Several long seconds passed. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

Makarov met his eyes. "That depends, Laxus, do you want to speak to your father?"

Laxus' stomach turned with nerves, the feeling unpleasant to say the least. "It's my dad?"

"As it was earlier this morning," Makarov said.

The lacrima still buzzed. The white haired man didn't make any move to answer it, instead studying Laxus' face carefully, trying to read him. Laxus did everything to keep himself neutral. That became harder when the ball stopped glowing and Makarov asked, "What should I tell him when he returns his call?"

"I…"

Makarov threw him a bone. "That you're occupied?"

"Yeah. I'll call him back when I get a second," Laxus fibbed.

Makarov puffed more furiously on his pipe. Porlyusica cinched Laxus' bandages tight, making his mouth water. _Am I going to puke on her?_ He swallowed and swallowed. The feeling never really went away.

A sharp knock on the door made Laxus jump, further paining his ribs. He dug his fingernails into his palm and breathed shallowly.

"Come," Makarov said loudly.

The door opened and Gildarts walked through. There was no Mira at his side now. "Master. Miss Porlyusica." He nodded abruptly to Laxus who didn't bother returning the gesture. "Cana said you wanted to see me."

Makarov placed his pipe down on his ashtray. "Yes. I got some troubling news from the council this morning that I wanted to relay before Mirajane dragged you off again."

Laxus tuned into their conversation, thinking it would take his mind off Porlyusica poking and prodding him. He was only half right; she'd find a really tender spot and then all he could do was focus on the feeling of the bones grinding together.

"Yesterday, the town of Lily Fields declared an emergency. It's under attack from what the council believes to be demons."

Porlyusica took a salve from her bag, something that smelled like juniper gone rotten, and swabbed it on Laxus' split lip. It burned like a motherfucker, so badly that he missed Gildarts' reply. Gramps' voice came in clear, though. "I don't want to do anything hasty yet, they haven't asked for our help, but I want it on your radar. Lily Fields isn't so far from Magnolia."

Laxus spoke around his throbbing lip. "Are demons still hunting Mirajane?" Porlyusica moved on to his broken nose, checking the bandage. His eyes watered.

"There haven't been any incidents since she got what she's called her Satan Soul, but we'd be foolish to be lazy," Makarov replied.

"Mira's got a job in town today, some guy thinks there's an Alp living in his gardens."

"An Alp?" Laxus asked.

"Shitty little demon that causes nightmares," Gildarts replied distractedly.

"Hardly dangerous," Makarov replied. "And hardly worth her time."

"You know how she is."

"Obsessed," Porlyusica muttered low enough that only Laxus could hear.

"Anything that says ' _demon'_ she takes. She won't let up," Gildarts said.

Makarov crossed his arms over his chest. "Might be wise not to tell her about Lily Fields. Not until we know what we're dealing with."

"Mira's not going to like that," Gildarts replied.

Makarov shrugged. "The council's sent their own force to deal with the problem; could be this time tomorrow everything is settled up. I don't want to make a move until they ask us, I just wanted to let you know. They're still mad about that job Erza took last month."

"When she wrecked that cathedral?" Gildarts asked.

"Crocus' Grand Cathedral," Makarov corrected. "She destroyed the building _and_ their records. There were scrolls in there over four hundred years old, but did she stop to think about that?" He kept on going.

Laxus tuned him out. Until his name was called. "What?"

"I said, you're not to say a word to Mira about this," Makarov warned.

Laxus waved him off. "Yeah."

"I mean it."

"Sure." He'd have to figure out a way to _talk_ to Mira first before he went blathering about this anyway, and there, he was still very much at a loss of how to begin.

* * *

Mira was no fool. Gildarts was being weird. Weirder than usual, anyway. Distracted. He didn't look at the women on the streets as he usually would, making offhanded comments that would make other girls in her position uncomfortable, he didn't chat idly.

Mira took in a deep breath of the cold winter air. It burned her lungs in the best way. She loved winter, right down to the thick layer of snow on the sidewalk, not yet shovelled. It crunched loudly beneath her boots. "Are you going to tell me what you're brooding about?"

Gildarts looked down at her from the corner of his eye. "Huh?"

"You're quiet. Why?"

He shrugged, broad shoulders lifting and falling. "Nothing."

"Bullshit."

"I say it's not."

"We've been doing these crappy jobs together for years, Gildarts. Tell me. You sick of playing chaperone?" Because she certainly was. "If we go to Master together, we might be able to convince him that we can call it quits. I can take care of myself." Mostly. She only lost control now when she was really angry, or panicked. It hadn't happened in months, though.

He ignored her.

"Fine," Mira said huffily. "Be stuck with me, then."

They had ten minutes of silence between them before he spoke again, and what he said left Mira scrambling. "You still got that photographer?"

"Photographer?"

"Yeah, you still seeing each other?"

Recovered, she smiled instead and asked flirtatiously, "Why? Interested in taking his place?"

He didn't stammer like he normally would. Mira's stomach twisted, thinking maybe she'd taken things too far. Then he said, "Just trying to look out for you. Thought I saw him hanging around the Kraken last night." One of Magnolia's more colourful bars and Gildarts' favorite watering hole. "Had a blonde with him."

Mira digested that information, remembering how Silas said he wanted to get yesterday's pictures developed. "Yeah?" Determined to be glib, she smirked playfully. "Maybe you were a few drinks in."

He looked uncomfortable. "Could be."

Or not. His warning was a little more difficult to ignore than Cana's. "Let's just get this job done." And afterward, she'd make a special trip to Sorcerer Weekly. Alone, if she had any say in it. Master Makarov and his escort system be damned.


	12. Chapter 12

Donning her Satan Soul was always difficult. It was willful and powerful and always fought for control. Master Makarov assured her that one day, it would not. Mira bowed beneath the strain it put on her magic and body and welcomed the challenge, knowing that eventually, this was the soul that was going to grant her freedom. It would take the demon Tani and reduce him to a wet pile of blood and bone. It would tear him apart. His death wouldn't offer peace for her father and mother, or deliver the parents that Lisanna and Elfman needed, but it would make things a little bit better. It would keep her remaining family safe.

Before her, at house number 22, Crowdy Lane, belonging to one Mr. Gentry, the snow-laden garden's dead flower heads rustled in a non-existent breeze. The demon knew Mira was there, shivering at the feel of her soul. It was overkill. It was all she had because there was no damn way she was going to use Tani's.

Dead sunflower stocks bent, snow lifted into the air. Through Mother Nature's drifting crystalline gems, Mira caught her very first sight of an Alp. It was humanoid right down to its hands, looking exactly in place in Magnolia-except, of course, for its blood-red eyes and the huge fuzzy horns that curled down around a mouth filled with sharp teeth.

It hissed like a cat in an attempt to warn Mira off. She was having none of it. Faster than she thought she could move, she was across the yard, magic in hand. She hit the demon squarely in the chest. It flipped end over end, it's high-pitched whine all Mira could hear. _It's in pain_ , her heart told her. The cold part of her, the part that still mourned the loss of her parents and was terrified of losing Elfman and Lisanna, too, told her to never ever feel remorse. Not for a demon.

Hardening her resolve, she hit it with enough power to stop its heart abruptly so it didn't suffer any longer than it had to. It fell to the ground in a heap and lay absolutely still.

"Did you have to kill it?" Gildarts asked in the coming silent seconds.

Mira released her Satan Soul, needing to be free of its cloying power. "That's what the job asked for." Gildarts didn't reply, so Mira added, "It's parasitic. It gives people nightmares and feeds off their fear."

Gildarts said, "You have a lot of rage in you, Mirajane."

She turned on him, chilled by his assessment. "Because I killed an Alp?"

"Because you didn't hesitate."

Maybe that's what it looked like, but that wasn't the case. Mira didn't know how to defend herself. "If I need a councillor, it won't be you, Gildarts."

"'Cause I don't know nothing, right?"

She scowled, hating his face for a very brief and very pure moment. It passed. She was still sweet on him in a strange way. "Let's just go get the money and get back to the guild."

* * *

Fairy Tail was noisy. Mira ditched Gildarts in the bar. But not before she ordered a plate of fries, sat at a table with Elfman, stuffed her face with a quarter of the plate than gave the rest to her gangly brother, all in order to let herself be seen. Cana walked by. She barely looked at Mira. Mira reserved a scowl for the girl. It was the best she had—what was there to say after last night's invitation? _You let things go too far._ She should have stopped Cana's groping, knowing what she was like. She hadn't, though. _Why_? She liked the way it felt. She liked the way Laxus looked at her. She liked the strange bit of power it gave her, seeing him straining against his pants, that dumb, hot smile on his mouth. _Fucking Laxus_.

Speak of the devil himself, hobbling down the stairs into the guild. People spoke to him; he altered his course to avoid engaging with them. He was even quieter than _before_ he left. _Snobbish,_ Mira's brain supplied. His eyes came over to her. _Hungover,_ it corrected. His eyes were bruised, the whites red-tinged and his skin was sallow, a complexion that only seemed to get worse when he saw her plate of fries. She looked away, not wanting him to know that she was looking to see him looking. She one last fry, wiped her hands on a napkin and stood.

"Where are you going?" Elfman asked, mouth full enough that she saw the mashed-up fries inside.

"Swallow, cretin."

Elfman hurried to do as she said. "Sorry. Where are you going?"

"Upstairs to shower," she replied casually.

"Oh. Me and Lisanna were wondering if you wanted to train with us later—"

"Not today."

He was tenacious. "Tomorrow?"

Mira pursed her lips. "I'll think about it."

His eyes, the very same blue as her own, as their father's, dug accusingly into her skin. "You said before you went out on that last job that you'd help us. Lisanna was looking forward to it."

He said Lisanna, but Mira knew it was he that wanted her help most. "Tomorrow morning. Early."

He lit up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now shut up and leave me alone for a few hours. If anyone's looking for me, tell them I'm not feeling well."

"Do you want me to tell Master Makarov so he can get Miss Porlyus—"

Helpful to the end. Mira cut him off. "I'm not actually sick, Elfman."

"Then why would you say that?"

She shook her head; lying wasn't something that came easily to her brother. Maybe she should be glad, that way when he did something stupid, she always found out. Or maybe she should be wary, because he was going to tell all of her secrets. "Because I don't want to be bothered, and that means by you, too."

When she left, her brother looked both miffed and confused and Laxus was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Upstairs in the room she still shared with her brother and sister, Mira ditched her 'job' clothes for something a little more revealing, a tight red dress that had a lace trim. It was something she imagined her father would kill her for wearing if he were alive. Forced to settle for the disapproving, if not lingering gaze of Master Makarov and the blushing discomfort of the other men in the guild when she returned, she adjusted it around her hips, hiked up her breasts in her push-up bra, and fluffed her hair into a state of calculated messiness. Then she caked on some eyeliner and a touch of lip gloss and called it done.

A bone-white coat went over her shoulders—it wasn't the warmest article she owned, but it looked the best—and tugged on a pair of dark leather boots with a small heel. Then, because she couldn't simply walk out the front door, she went to the window and hiked it up. It would be awkward getting down, anyone looking toward the eastern side of the building would see her, surely, but with the sun setting and the sky just deciding to give up its snow in the form of a storm, she was enveloped in shadow. The chances of anyone wandering around to see her shimmying down the side of the building were slim. She was still quick as a snake, climbing out and finding footholds in the thin lattice, scurrying all the way down until she was close enough to the ground to jump. The snow was deeper than she thought. Off balance, she toppled over backwards and got a healthy amount of snow up her dress.

"Fuck sakes."

"That looked uncomfortable."

Mira stopped her furious dance, trying to get snow out of her dress before it melted, and faced her audience.

Laxus Dreyar.

"About as uncomfortable as that shitty hangover."

He quirked his mouth in a quarter of a smile and popped a cigarette between his lips. He lit it with a scratched black zippo and puffed until it was smoking, not denying her claim.

Mira turned her lip up. "Does Gildarts know you're stealing his cigarettes?" She'd recognize their putrid smell anywhere.

"Does Gramps know you're sneaking out of your window dressed like…" He screwed up his nose.

Mira waited for him to say something stupid so she could tear him apart. He let his sentence hang unfinished. Confident he wasn't going to rat her out, she shook out her coat one final time then took a huge step over what used to be a bed of peonies. "Excuse me."

Laxus remained in her way, crossing an arm over his chest and cupping his elbow. "Where you going?" When he spoke, smoke coiled out of his mouth.

Mira glanced up into his slate coloured eyes. They used to be familiar, but not anymore. _At all?_ Maybe there was a _touch_ of the old Laxus there, an obstinate little seed that wouldn't be buried. She matched it with her own. "Out."

"To?" he prodded.

"No place you'd be interested in with a hangover like that," Mira quipped and stepped around him.

Looking annoyed, he caught her hand and tugged her back before she could get too far. "Try me."

Mira's heart did a weird flop. She buried the sensation and pulled her hand out of his grasp. "Forget it."

He wasn't so willing to do that. "Thought you weren't supposed to be going around by yourself, or did that change?"

"Worried about me, Laxus?" He only looked at her. Uncomfortable, Mira said, "I'm a big girl."

He caught her elbow again, preventing her from escaping. "Mira…"

There was a lot of weight put into her name. He was trying to say something that she wasn't sure she wanted to hear. "Save it." She pulled forcefully out of his hold and walked quickly, leaving him behind. She looked back only once, not quite able to help herself. He was still standing there. He'd tugged headphones over his ears, though. He watched her and didn't pretend not to, smoking his stolen cigarette.

* * *

Twilight was the best time, as far as Mira was concerned. It hid a great deal of illicit behaviour. It was when all of the most interesting people came out onto the streets, it was a time when the day stopped its slow unfolding and sped up, an unstoppable force of exciting happenings.

This evening, as she dodged men and women on her way to Sorcerer Weekly, she kept her hood up to hide from anyone that might recognize her, especially without her tall, brooding shadow. Being on her own didn't worry her, not the way it worried Master Makarov, she was fairly certain she could handle any trouble. The problem with trouble, though, was that it bred talk, and talk often reached its way to her ever-curious Master.

She burrowed deeper into her hood passing by a long-nosed woman who stared at her too long, thinking that there wasn't any need to get her loosening bonds tightened. Master would never let her out of his sights—and Gildarts would likely get an earful, which meant _she_ would get one on both sides.

Yep.

Hoods.

Sorcerer Weekly came into view just as Mira's toes were going numb. Her boots looked good, but they did little to keep out the cold. She hurried along, practically running toward the stout brick and stone building. The walkway, lined with pansies in the summer months, had recently been shoveled. The snow was piled high in the flowerbeds, stained blue now with salt and grey with dirt. All of the ugliness would be covered soon in a fresh layer of snow, if the darkening sky was any indication. Soon, it would be impossible to see the roads clearly. It was good for Mira, who was trying to stay hidden, bad for anyone manning carts or trying to finish up work for the day.

The entrance offered a little protection from the blowing snow and wind. Mira grabbed the glass door and tried it. It came open. Over the sound of the storm, voices petered out into the approaching dark. Silas. Glad that _something_ was going her way today, Mira entered, stamping her boots and throwing back her snow-laden hood. The old familiar smell of ink and paper came to her. She relaxed in the bright tiled hall and let out a breath. Overhead, the lights shone, illuminating a floor white and reflective enough that a blurry Mirajane looked back at the real thing, rosy-cheeked.

Mira rubbed her nose on her sleeve and came further into the building. It was quiet, save for the soft _click, click, click_ of her shoes and the faint drone of voices coming from the news room. She listened carefully, imagining what she'd do if Silas _did_ have another girl back there. Yell? Rage? Cry? Walk out without a word like a dignified adult? Seventeen was a week away, she was young by most people's standards, but between stepping in for their mother for three years and preparing herself to take the demon's life that killed her family, Mira thought she could deal with a little bit of scorn.

Or that's what her mind thought. When she imagined the scenario, her guts twisted up, her chest got small, and her throat was tight.

Closer to the news room, she heard more clearly what was being said. "I think this story is something worth reporting on. Lily Fields, a whole town, decimated. Do we know which mages the council's sending to clean up the mess?" That sounded like Raine, one of Sorcerer Weekly's reporters.

"We don't even know what kind of mess it _is."_ And that was Silas, Mira recognized his easy-going baritone anywhere. "Lena said it was totally cordoned off. No one's getting in, no one's getting out, and no one's talking."

"Yeah? How's Lena know that?"

"Her brother lives there. They were keeping in contact with lacrimas, but yesterday, even that was blocked. Some council 'talk-free' spell or some crap."

Mira found the office the voices were coming from. Silas'. She debated on hanging outside of the room but she didn't want to be _that_ person. Casually, she stopped by the open door and leaned against the doorframe in the open for everyone to see. Silas was standing on the opposite side of the room, hanging freshly developed pictures of a blonde model (the detail made Mira bristle) on a string. Raine, the brunette beauty, had her butt up on his desk as she watched him work, legs crossed, fingers laced over her knee.

"I'm a little curious to see what's going on, but you heard Mr. Webber—" Silas trailed off when he saw Mira. There was a brief moment where she could tell he didn't immediately recognize her—she wasn't supposed to be there after all, they didn't have a shoot scheduled—then his face broke out into that easy smile, the one that heated her up.

"Mirajane."

Raine followed his gaze, grey eyes snapping Mira up quick. "Mira, darling, you look cold."

That was one word for it. Her butt and thighs were mostly numb—turns out she didn't get all of the snow out of her dress before it melted. Goddamn Laxus. "It's storming,"

Silas ducked beneath the string and approached Mira, blue eyes digging into hers. "We weren't scheduled for anything today."

Mira shrugged. "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by."

He smiled faintly and looked over her shoulder. "Where's your shadow?"

Mira _hated_ that Gildarts was always there; today, she was glad to say, "He stayed home."

"Maybe we'll head over to the Kraken then." Silas said, mouth turning into the smile Mira wanted to see when he first looked up and saw her. She was beginning to smile back, then remembered her purpose there. It went away before it could gain any real momentum.

"Alright."

"Well," Raine hopped down off the desk, chic black dress falling back around her knees. "I think I'm going to get out of here before the storm gets any worse. Keep me updated if you hear anything else from Lena, eh?"

"Yeah, Raine," Silas said absently. "Sure."

The woman left in a whirl of lemon perfume. Then it was quiet.

Awkwardly so.

"So…" Mira said in what she hoped was a casual way and sauntered over to the drying rack. Her photos from the day before were down at the end, her 'battle' gear on. When compared to the bikini-wearing blonde next to her, Mira thought she looked like a frumpy muffin. "Who's this? I don't recognize her."

"Hm? That's Lena Heart," Silas replied.

"Yeah?"

"Mmhm. Lamia Scale's newest mage."

Mira looked back over her shoulder, pleased that he was watching her. "What's she do?"

"Light magic." Silas joined her by the rack, studying one of Lena's pictures, one where she had her back to the camera while she looked over her shoulder with a saucy smile on her lips. "Her specialty is making creatures out of it. Fascinating stuff."

Mira dissected his words, looking for admiration—she didn't have to look hard to find it. The feeling it left her with was less than desirable. "When did you take those?"

Silas looked at her for real. "Yesterday."

"After I left?"

His mouth curled to the side. "Yeah. The boss asked me to do another shoot, last minute. They want something to really pull the reader in—we had a drop in sales last month."

"For next week's issue?" Mira asked, miffed for a whole new reason.

Silas seemed to realized what he said. "You're getting second page, Mira."

"I was supposed to be on the cover."

"I know, but…" He scrubbed his hand through his dark hair. "Well… to be honest, babes in bikinis sell better than babes in battle gear. Even when they're you."

Mira's neck heated. She turned away, unable to look at him anymore, and started for the door.

"Hey, Mira, come back." Silas grabbed her hand, holding her there even when she pulled. "It's not that she's better than you, it's just my editor doesn't want to put you in dressed like that until your eighteenth. Policy. Lena has front page for now, but in a year, your going to take that place and they won't be able to keep the magazines on the shelf."

She didn't know what was worse—being denied by just a year, having Silas' pity or being jealous of Lamia Scale's blonde bimbo. She tugged away from him again. "Excuse me."

He pulled her closer instead. "I thought we were going to go to the Kraken?"

"Where you took her after your shoot?" It came out just as accusatory and childish as she hoped it never would.

Silas' face blanked; he recovered quickly. "Yeah. Like we did."

Her head got hot. "You could at least try to lie."

His hand fell to the rushed white fabric at her waist. "Aw, Mira. You don't have to be jealous. We were just talking. She had the scoop on that town and I knew Raine was gonna wanna hear it. Just business."

She wavered, wondering if he'd really be stupid enough to lie to her.

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink and some dinner, eh?"

 _Probably not but you never know._ More research was needed. Mira hardened her resolve. "I don't feel like it."

He wasn't letting her go so easily. "Don't be like that. I'll grab you some margaritas. We'll sit in the back in the corner where no one can see us and do terrible, nasty things to each other."

"You think that's supposed to sell me?"

He raised a brow. "I saw you hesitate."

Mira's mouth tried to inch into a smile. She bullied it down in place. "People are talking, Silas. They're saying you're fucking everything that moves."

He didn't look concerned. "So? Let them talk."

"How can you say that?"

"You never cared what anyone said about you before," he reasoned.

"Why are you so blasé about this?" She could throttle him.

"Because, Mira, we're not even supposed to be a thing," Silas told her. "I could lose my job if Mr. Webber knew I was tossing you, and you, too. No more Sorcerer Weekly contracts. You'd be done." Mr. Webber, the owner of Sorcerer Weekly, had a strict 'no nepotism' policy.

"Everyone here knows something's going on," Mira objected. "Do you think he's stupid?"

"It's one thing to know and another to _know_ ," he told her. "If everyone thinks I'm spending time with other girls, too, they can't say anything about you."

His logic was placating. "You were really just talking?"

"I never knew you were so jealous." Silas smiled.

"I'm not jealous," Mira fibbed. "I just want to save my reputation." _That_ wasn't a lie. The she-devil Mirajane Strauss getting tossed aside by a Sorcerer Weekly photographer? Just thinking about it made her _cringe_.

Silas grinned, not at all fooled. "Of course," he said. "So, what do you think? We'll go to the Kraken, have a few?"

Mira gave in.

* * *

Pool balls _cracked_ together loudly, smoke choked the air. Men in clothes better suited for the rag bin gathered around to watch the next shot get lined up, beers either in hand or resting on tables behind them. The women were less frequent, but they were there, scantily clad, hanging off huge, bearded men or sitting with one ass cheek up on the table, smoking, drinking, laughing.

Alone while Silas went to the bar, with her hood up to cover her face, Mira walked with her head down to the back booth along the far wall and sat with her back to the bar. Only when she was there, mostly shadowed, did she take off her hood and then her coat and relax some. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed in the bar, sure, if she wanted to play pool, but Benny, the bartender, would never serve her drinks if he knew she was back here waiting.

Awaiting Silas' return, Mira shucked off her coat then picked up a coaster and twirled it around and around impatiently. Her mind wandered some, first to Laxus, whom she couldn't seem to fully expel from her thoughts (he looked hurt when she ditched him on the balcony—a state that had been fully buried today beneath a headache and crassness) and then she thought of the conversation Silas had been having when she entered Sorcerer Weekly. What warranted the total shut-down of a town? Disease or attack or something else she hadn't thought of yet?

Silas returned with a beer and an apple margarita. "I'm actually surprised that Benny knows what the fuck this is," he said as he set the drink down in front of her. "Can't speak to the quality."

Mira had a sip. It was as good as ever. "I like it."

"Probably because you've never had one from anywhere else." He lowered himself down next to her instead of in the seat opposite and put his arm around her waist. "Your dress looks good."

Mira smiled. "Yeah?"

Silas' long fingers reached, reached, to skim over her thigh and play with the hem of her dress. "Yeah. What are you wearing beneath it?" His thumb searched for the band of her underwear and flicked it. Mira's stomach did that same old flop. She liked that he was rough and forward when everyone else she met treated her like she was poison. She didn't want to be a total pushover, though, so she wriggled out of his grasp and took another huge sip of her margarita. It was sour and delicious sliding down her throat.

"What were you and Raine talking about when I showed up?"

Silas' searing smirk toned back a few degrees. "Hm?"

"That town."

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "Lily Fields. It's all locked up right now, the council isn't letting anyone near it except the mages they've sanctioned."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "No one knows."

Mira burned with curiosity. "Are you going to check it out?"

"I'm a photographer, not a journalist, Mira," Silas said.

"Pictures are part of the story," Mira replied.

"Mr. Webber would fire me."

"I thought reporters were supposed to be nosy?" Mira asked.

"Photographer," he said again. "Besides, this isn't like other stories. Mr. Webber told us anyone that looked into it without the Council's permission would be fired."

Mira's curiosity burned all the brighter. "Sounds serious."

"Yeah." Silas took a huge sip of beer. When he'd swallowed he leaned into her neck. "I didn't bring you here to talk about that crap, though, Mira."

His breath was hot sneaking down past the neckline of her dress. She shivered despite herself. "What'd you bring me here for, then?"

He locked his mouth around her neck and kissed. Mira let the noise of the bar fall into the background and focused on that sensation.

* * *

"Well, that sure looks familiar."

Laxus turned to look for the source of the drawling voice and found Gildarts leaning against Fairy Tail's brick façade. "What's that?"

"That smoke," Gildarts clarified. "Looks just like one of the five that went missing from my pack today."

"Weird," Laxus replied glibly and flicked the ash. The wind grabbed it and whisked it away along with the blowing snow.

"Oh, I don't think so," Gildarts said. "You took them, which is just rude, man."

"That's a big leap. Coulda got these from anywhere." Laxus tucked his neck further into his sweater. Soon he'd have to find a winter coat but for now, it was wool for him. Which was great when it wasn't windy as fuck, but right now, it felt as thin as paper. The cold was making his ribs ache.

"Could have," Gildarts agreed. "But little Natsu there ratted you out, said he saw you taking them."

Caught and not so interested in lying, Laxus snorted. "That kid."

"This kid," Gildarts corrected, pointing his finger accusingly. "Come on, you can buy me a beer to make up for it."

"You think I have cash?"

"I think you have enough for a beer," Gildarts said.

Laxus thought about telling him to fuck off. Then decided not because taking his smokes _was_ sort of an asshole thing to do. And it was cold as fuck out. He pulled one last time on the cigarette then dropped the stub and started toward the Fairy Tail bar.

Gildarts' voice stopped him. "They're out of Honeydale."

"So? Get something else," Laxus said.

"I like Honeydale."

Laxus turned, exasperated. "Then what do you suggest?"

"Kraken's down the road," Gildarts said.

Laxus went digging through his pocket for the change from the gold the kid threw him the other day. He tried handing it off. Gildarts reached for his shoulder instead of taking the money and turned him toward the heart of town. "Let's go for a walk, kid. Fresh air will do you good."

"It's freezing."

"A brisk walk," Gildarts said.

Laxus grumbled and fought to keep pace.

Noticing his floundering, Gildarts slowed his steps some. "Your old man really did a number on you, eh?"

"Dunno what you're talking about," Laxus lied.

"No need to feel bad. He's quick, Ivan. I remember he used to always get one up on me, too, back when he was still a Fairy Tail member. Then I learned that he always protected his ribs on the right. An old injury or something. Next time we fought, I went for those. It was kind of a shitty way to win, but hey, sometimes fights aren't clean, right? Gotta do what you can to get the advantage."

"I was hungover, not too slow," Laxus said before he could stop himself.

Gildarts hardly missed a beat with his admission. "Your grandfather would start a war for you, Laxus, if he heard you say that."

"Yeah." He knew Gramps well enough.

"Next time Ivan comes for you, go for the ribs and save us all a headache from the Council, eh?"

"There won't be a next time. I'm not going back to Raven Tail."

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that we do unexpected things for family."

"He's an asshole."

"Sure is, but who knows, your dad might decide that he doesn't want to be a bastard anymore and change his ways."

 _That_ was unlikely. Laxus kept his thoughts to himself.

* * *

Mira's lips felt bruised and between her legs hot every time Silas let his hand wander up the skirt of her dress some. She stopped being aware of the bar long ago, relying on the shadows and the other noise to keep their privacy. Beneath her clothes, Silas plucked at the band of her underwear, the most brazen he'd been, and nipped her lip. Mira panted, feeling like she was flying and dying all at once. She'd give anything to be touched for real. She squirmed a little to the right, bringing his fingers closer, closer—

A huge noise somewhere near the front of the bar followed by laughing made them break apart. Silas popped his head up over the back of the chair to see what the ruckus was. "Just Wilson taking a tumble off his stool," he explained after a moment, naming a town drunkard.

Mira swallowed, and nodded, sort of placated but heart still hammering.

Silas asked, "You want another drink?"

Four martinis in and her head was spinning. _Don't forget you promised Elfman you'd train tomorrow._ _And it's getting late._ Yeah, but this was fun. He'd understand if they didn't get together _first thing_ in the morning. "Sure."

Silas dropped another lingering kiss to her lips then stood and went to the bar. Mira slouched down and fixed her makeup some and wiped the dampness from her lips. She adjusted her dress, too. Her underwear was _definitely_ showing. Collected again, she peaked over the top of the seat and found Silas at the bar. The blonde next to him really gave Mira pause. She squinted, thinking she recognized the golden hew to the woman's hair. She turned just a little toward Silas as he said something to her and Mira became sure. Lena Heart. Her stomach dropped some.

Unable to look away, she watched them talk for a few minutes. Were they standing too close? It was hard to say, the bar was crowded and loud enough that it would be impossible to hear anyone speak from any _normal_ distance away. Silas started to move, to look back her way, Mira assumed. She dropped herself back into the seat and slouched, not wanting to be _that person_ , the one that had no shame, the one that was insecure and clingy. That was a person she could grow to hate. It wasn't Mirajane Strauss, She-Devil, the persona she'd built with the help of Gildarts, it was Mirajane Strauss, the girl that had _no fucking idea_ what she was doing half the time, the one that was limping along just to get by.

 _You are who you make yourself to be,_ she told herself. _Stop looking, stop thinking about it. Face forward. If he's messing around, well…_ Well, she'd break it off with her dignity _in tact_. She wouldn't be caught spying over the top of a bar booth, looking longingly and _hurt._

She ran her black-painted thumbnail through the deep gashes on the table and waited. She didn't have to hold out for long. A weight dropped into the seat beside her, and arm was slung around her shoulder, and a mouth came next to her ear. She thought it was Silas, but the cologne was wrong.

"I'm hurt you didn't invite me out. I thought we did everything together."

Mira stiffened, heart hammering, and leaned away. "Gildarts." Surprised but not without pride, she held on to as much dignity as she could. "You're a little old to be draping yourself on me like that. Creepy."

He held in a retort that Mira was sure would have dug into her own behaviour and straightened. "Sneaking out without Master's knowhow, huh? I didn't give you enough credit. Who's the lucky guy? Or do I even need to ask? Where is the snake?"

Mira had a brief and _humiliating_ fantasy of Gildarts digging into Silas. A figure appeared at the side of the table and she almost had a meltdown. Until she saw Laxus' blonde head of hair.

"Mira?" He sounded just as surprised to see her.

Gildarts straightened and took his arm from her shoulder in order to grab the two beers from Laxus. "Thanks."

"One of those were mine," Laxus protested.

"Really? Because you look green," Gildarts said.

"I'm fine," Laxus replied. Mira knew he lied; even after all these years, he still shuffled slightly from foot-to-foot when he did so.

"Well, I need someone to take Mirajane back to the guild and we can't waste these beers," Gildarts replied. "I'll get you back."

"We just got here—"

"I'm not going," Mira said. "I was—"

"Mirajane." Gildarts cut them both off, donning what Mira had come to think of as his 'serious voice'. "Go back to the guild and we won't talk about this with Master Makarov. You don't want him tightening that leash, do you?"

"I'm more than capable of handling myself," Mira said, cheeks burning. She was all too aware of Laxus watching her. _And where's Silas?_ She wanted to look so bad, and yet, she wanted to sink into the seat and disappear, never to be heard from again.

"Entertain me." He rose and motioned for her to get out.

Mira thought about being stubborn. It felt childish to fight. And there was the possibility of Silas coming back and seeing her less than graceful retreat. Best do it on her own terms. She stood and grabbed her coat, feeling eyes on her body, and started toward the front of the bar. Laxus was behind her; she could hear him struggling to catch up. She hated Gildarts in that moment, assigning Laxus chaperone detail when he could hardly walk. Seriously.

She found Silas at the bar, still talking with Lena. Inspiration hit her hard. This night didn't have to end in complete disgrace. She willed him to look at her. He lifted his gaze, focused, and looked was surprised to see her out of her seat. He looked to Laxus, then back again. Positive he associated them together, Mira waved glibly. "I'll see you around, Silas."

He didn't say anything, not ' _who's that you're with'_ or ' _goodbye_ '.

Mira knew he watched her all the way out of the bar. She half wondered if he was going to catch up to her and ask her questions and was more than a little disappointed and hurt that he did not.

Upon opening the palm-worn bar door, Mira stepped into a complete whiteout. The world looked foreign like this. A little magical, too, with a fresh three inches of snow on the ground and more falling at a startling pace. The only thing that could be seen clearly was the tops of the streetlights, their glow unable to totally penetrate the snowy air.

Mira only allowed herself a millisecond to appreciate the beauty. Then she pointed herself in Fairy Tail's general direction and set a brutal pace, not really caring if Laxus kept up or not.


	13. Chapter 13

Laxus did what he could to keep up with Mira. She was quick. Or maybe he was just slow, limping along like an injured dog. Though the storm raged loudly and it wasn't likely Mira would hear him, he tried to save himself some dignity and kept his panting to a minimum. His lungs _burned_. If Porlyusica saw him now, hobbling and holding his ribs, she'd flay him.

"If you wanted to drink, I still have some whisky, you didn't have to wander off," Laxus said loudly, mostly just to get her to slow the hell down.

"The point was not drinking with you," Mira slowed to reply.

"Who were you there with?" he asked, not deterred like she'd hoped, just glad his plan had worked; she wasn't on the verge of being totally swallowed by the snow, her shoulders were visible, and those black boots. He liked those. "Boyfriend?"

Mira slowed some more and whipped around on him. He prepared himself for rage. He got, "Boyfriend?"

"You have one, don't you?" It was too late to wonder if he sounded like a dork, the words were out. "Not that it matters. Just, everyone's talking about it."

Mira walked several paces facing him. The snow was up past her ankles now, approaching her shins. The bit of her leg that wasn't covered by boot or coat was red with the wind. She must have been cold but she was the kind of girl whose fury kept her warm. "Is that so? Everyone?"

Laxus shrugged. "Cana."

Mira shook her head and turned back around. Laxus was sad to see her go. Not that he could see _much_ in the storm, a girl with silver hair, pale skin and a white coat, white and white and white all mixing together. It would be easy to lose her.

"It wasn't that guy standing with the blonde, was it?" Laxus asked, trying to keep her engaged.

She whirled on him once more. "Why?" The question held a lot of weight, her voice a lot of uncertainty.

Laxus shrugged.

Mira rolled her eyes and faced away. This time when she walked faster, there was absolutely no hope of catching up. Laxus followed her footprints, annoyed that she was so far ahead but also glad, he didn't know what to say. It was obvious some shit was going on with her, but who the hell was he to step in and offer her 'Laxus' words of Wisdom'? He had his own shit, after all.

The road sloped up. In the dullness, Laxus recognized the ditch he fell into his first day back. It looked a lot shallower now, filled in with snow as it was. He entertained the idea of slumping into it again, he was in so much pain. There would be no Gramps to pull him out, though, no Mira and no Gildarts, if he knew the man at all, not for several hours anyway. He liked his beer and he liked his bar rats. Laxus wished he'd stayed. Even sitting in the Kraken's beer-soaked air was better than stumbling through the streets on this shitty night. Maybe he could have pretended to be drunk and gotten Gildarts to support him on the way home. That would have been nice.

The road just ahead was obscured by a dark shape. Drawing nearer brought the blob into better focus. It was a person. Thinking it was Mira and that he wasn't so proud after all to ask her to help him back, he sped up. Only to slow down again as a tall man, thin as a rake and angular, came into focus. Another few steps closer and Laxus recognized the sagging jowls and strange, hollow eyes.

Zan looked as eerie as he always did, more like a scarecrow than a man. _Demon_ , Laxus corrected himself.

"Ivan's son." His voice, though wispy, was carried clearly to Laxus' ear by the wind.

Laxus eyed him warily, his first response to be hostile but even now, his father chirruped in his ear, _'We need him alive'_. Zan was the only one that knew how to maintain his lacrima, after all. "What do you want?"

"Is that any way to treat an old friend?"

"We're not friends," Laxus replied and brushed past the creature. It felt _wrong_ to put his back to the thing, but it was obvious he wasn't going to kill it—not only was his father still firmly ingrained in his head, but his body wasn't feeling up to the task—he just wanted to get out of there.

The snow ahead of him blurred again, reforming the demon. The cold flakes wouldn't land on Zan's blacker than tar coat, or stick to his skin, really. It was as if nature herself rejected him. "Hurtful words. I slaved over your putrid smelling body for hours. You threw up on my shoes. I thought we were closer than that."

"What do you want?" Laxus asked.

Zan gave him a smile that was supposed to be beatific and tapped his chest. "How's the old lacrima doing?"

"Fine." His scar was _burning_ ; he wasn't sure if it was the cold or the demon's proximity or his own mind playing tricks on him.

"Good."

An awkward silence stretched.

"That's all? You just wanted to know how it was doing?"

Zan shrugged. "Your father has been vague about your whereabouts. I thought maybe he got sick of you and found you a place beneath a cherry tree. If that was the case, our deal was done and I would have to retake my lacrima. Seeing as how you're still alive and using it… Well, I'm relieved, though I have to wonder why Ivan Dreyar is hiding his son from us. Hopefully he's not trying to renege on his deal."

A tang of fear filled Laxus' mouth. "He's not hiding me. I left Raven Tail."

"Oh?"

Laxus hardly felt the cold sneaking down his neck or the wind blowing through his sweater, yet, he was aware of his skin crawling. "Just needed a change of pace."

"I think, and others would agree, that Raven Tail is a beneficial place for you to be, Laxus Dreyar. For you and for your father." Zan's threat was hardly veiled.

"My ribs are broken; I can't get back to training until they heal." It came out sounding exactly like what it was: an excuse.

"It sounds like you need to work harder," Zan replied. "You have a week to get back to where you belong. Take care now, and mind that lacrima, it's precious cargo."

He disappeared, dissolving into the snow like a ghost.

* * *

Around the back of Fairy Tail in an effort to keep her late night excursion secret (for all that was worth, it felt like the cat was out of the bag), Mira kicked something buried in the deepening snow. She went diving for the object and retrieved a bottle of mostly drunk whisky. She recognized it as the same bottle they'd been drinking last night. It went into her coat pocket; she felt like she could use a little distraction.

With her pockets heavy, she traversed the lattice, cold wood whining beneath her weight, hands going numb digging through the snow. It had been a while since she'd done this; her body still remembered the route, so did her heart.

At the top, she got more of the cold stuff up her dress. It was startling. She shook out the snow, not wasting much time, and went for the doors. Her eyes trekked over the balcony on their own, going to the place where she, Laxus and Cana had stood the night before. Fresh snow covered their tracks, nearly six inches of it, but the indents were still there for her to see. She thought about Cana asking when she was going to ' _ditch the douche'_. She thought about going to her room in Fairy Hills. _And what would you say_? _That she was right_? Or nothing at all? Pretend that nothing happened and continue her life as she normally would, just with a whole lot less of Silas.

 _You're jumping to conclusions. It might not have been anything._

Yep. It might not have been. She didn't want to be the last to know, though. She also didn't want to be the one who was getting played.

The hallway was empty and dark when she entered. As usual, she could hear the soft trill of Elfman's snores. She tiptoed to her room then hesitated by the door. She didn't want to go in. She didn't want to get changed into the pink two-piece pajama set Lisanna bought for her last birthday (it was both her most modest and her most adored article of clothing), she didn't want to lie in her bed, staring up at her ceiling wondering if what her gut was telling her was wrong, she didn't want to be alone with herself to think.

 _Good thing you ditched Laxus._ A small bit of guilt gnawed at her. Mira sighed and moved back toward Laxus' room. He wasn't there, but she could wait for him.

* * *

Laxus thought, as he hobbled into Fairy Tail, chilled to the bone, cranky and shaken, that he could make a career out of avoiding people. He was pretty good at keeping his head up, his eyes on the stairs at the back of the guild hall, his shoulders straight and his mind focused. He could stop conversations before they started with the correct narrowing of his eyes and purposeful steps.

He couldn't ignore his grandfather, though.

Makarov stepped out in front of him; it didn't matter how short the man was, he commanded attention wherever he went. Laxus slowed and looked down into the man's wrinkled face and felt both a tug of affection an annoyance. All he wanted to do was go upstairs and fall into bed and be done with today. The former grew larger than the latter when he saw what Gramps held. A black down-filled coat with a fox fur trimmed hood.

"What's that?" he said instead of ' _hello'._

"A coat for when you wander around against my wishes," Makarov said.

"You didn't have to do that." Laxus felt eyes on him, people deciding that his altercation with the Master of Fairy Tail was more interesting than what was in the bottom of their cups. Uncomfortable with the attention, his skin crawled.

"What kind of grandpa would I be if I let you go on like that?" Makarov asked, not nearly as twitchy as Laxus was when it came to affection.

"I don't want handouts."

Makarov's face darkened for a beat. Then his expression cleared. "Very well, when you're good enough to start working again, you can pay me back."

That was a more agreeable scenario, one Laxus knew how to handle. It helped with the guilt that came with considering leaving Fairy Tail, though not the indecision. He took the jacket, said his thanks and moved past the old man up the stairs.

"Laxus," Makarov called him back.

Laxus paused and closed his eyes for two solid seconds, enough time to gather his wits. When he opened them, he turned back around to face Gramps directly. "Yeah?"

"You got another call this afternoon. That's three today."

Laxus' palms tingled. He wondered what kind of response Gramps wanted. ' _Let me talk to him next time?' 'Tell him to fuck off?' He wants to know if you plan on going back to your father._ He was wondering the exact same thing. "Block it."

Makarov studied him with squinted eyes for as long as Laxus would allow for it. Seconds. Laxus turned away and made for the stairs, leaving his grandfather and Fairy Tail's prying eyes behind. Up here, the sound was muted, partially because of a spell cast on the entire level, partially just good design. With the noise of the bar in the background, Laxus could hear Elfman's snores, Lisanna's light breaths and shuffling in the hallway. He stiffened, thinking maybe it was Zan come for another visit. Then he saw her white as snow hair, small red dress and shiny black boots and relaxed some. She was sitting against the wall outside his door, legs tucked up to her chest, uncaring if she showed off her underwear or not. Laxus looked and didn't scold himself for it. They were red and lacy.

"Took you long enough," Mirajane's voice came to him more slurred than what it had been when they left the Kraken.

"You just speed walk." Laxus wondered what Mira would think of his roadside visitor. She hated demons and everything they touched. What would she think of his lacrima, demon made and demon maintained?

"I found this out back." Mira held up last night's whisky. "It's better really cold."

"That's because the cold takes away from the flavour," he told her.

"Wanna drink?"

Not really. He didn't know how to tell her that without coming off as a complete idiot. "In the hallway?"

Mira got up clumsily, showing off her underwear even more. "Come on."

Laxus watched sort of numbly as she invited herself into his room.

Mira peaked her head out when he didn't immediately follow. "Are you coming or what?"

His legs unstuck. Mira closed the door behind him. She didn't go for the light and neither did he. He set his new coat down on the chair and faced her. In the dark, her eyes were glassy. She shucked off her coat and added it to his, then her boots, stripping her feet down to a pair of black and red striped knee-high socks. She took herself, her small dress and those socks right to his bed and flopped down, crossing her leg up beneath her body.

"Thought you didn't want to come into my room?" Laxus heard himself ask.

Mira's eyes flashed. "Thought you wanted me in here."

"I did."

"Well, here I am."

"Last night."

Mira searched his eyes. "Has that changed?"

He felt burned up. "You can stay."

Mira's _harrumph_ could only be described as displeased.

Laxus didn't bother groveling or apologizing. Carefully, he took off his sweater and dropped that on the chair, too. The fabric was soaked. So was his collared shirt. He lurched to his messy drawers and tugged out something he thought still might fit, a long-sleeved T-shirt, plain black. More than happy to get out of the one he was wearing, he peeled it off and traded it in. He felt Mira's eyes on him the whole time. When he turned around, looking at her as he tugged his shirt over his body, in too much pain to go fast, he expected to see admiration on her face. The expression she wore was one of awe. But not the good kind.

"That was some fight you got in."

Laxus' ribs complained all the way back to the bed. Even when he sat down across from her did they scream. He kept his face carefully blank. "Yeah."

Mira was inquisitive. "Who was it?"

"Some bastard," Laxus replied. He adjusted, trying to get comfortable and settled with propping his pillows against the wall so he could lean back. Legs straight, he crossed his feet up on the bed beside Mira's butt.

"People are talking," Mira hedged.

"And which people are those?" Laxus asked, uncomfortable that their earlier conversation was being turned back around on him.

"Cana," Mira said with a small smile.

"And what's Cana saying?"

Mira plucked at his dark blue comforter. "That you came back from Raven Tail looking like this, without much clothes or money. That whenever anyone asks you about your time there, you find any excuse to get away."

"Maybe I just don't like talking to people," Laxus said.

"You used to like talking to me."

"When I tried, you told me to fuck myself." In not so many words.

Mira's responding smirk was mean. "You ignored me for three years, I was mad."

"My letters didn't make it to the post office like I thought," Laxus told her.

"Oh no?"

He shook his head.

"Guess you didn't get mine either?" She didn't ask like she believed a word he said.

"I didn't."

She drank from the whisky bottle. "You're a shitty liar."

"And if I said I wasn't lying?"

Mira leaned back on her elbow, a saucy smile on her lips. "I'd still think you were a shitty liar."

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't."

"You ever cheated on someone, Laxus?" Mira asked suddenly.

He studied her. Shadow made it so her underwear wasn't quite so visible but she wasn't doing much to hide it, either. It felt like an invitation; he was wary of _why_. "This feels like a loaded question."

"Just yes or no, no tricks," Mira said.

He didn't believe her. He sucked on his tooth while he thought of how to respond. Finally, he said, "No."

She turned the question around. "Have you ever been cheated on?"

He thought of the bite mark on Cora's ass, the one he didn't remember leaving behind. "What's this about?" She wasn't just fishing for information, trying to get to know him again.

Mira sat up and crawled over so her hands were on either side of his hips. Her hair tickled Laxus' hands crossed over his stomach. "If I came in here last night, would you have kissed me?" Her breath was potent with alcohol. Her dark lashes fluttered.

Laxus felt the blood rush from his head, relocating elsewhere. "If you wanted me to."

She leaned closer. "And now?"

"Now…" Now she was so close her lips tickled his when she spoke. He realized he'd pinched her hair between his fingers only when he felt the silken locks against his skin.

Her eyes got heavy-lidded. "Yes?"

"Now, I might ask about your boyfriend, Mira." And wonder if it meant any damn thing at all.

"And if I said I didn't have one?"

 _Yes, please_. "If not, I say it's a recent thing."

"Mm."

"I take it he wasn't supposed to be with that blonde?"

Mira's eyes widened, her blue orbs burrowing through him. Her silence said it all. In very short order, Laxus realized he had his father's knack for tactlessness and crassness and his 'no bullshit' attitude. "I don't know how I feel about being rebound."

She sat back just as quick as she'd sat forward, looking like she wanted to hit him. It passed. "We would have had to split for you to be rebound. They were just talking."

"That's the oldest line in the book, you know that?" Laxus jabbed.

"They _were_."

She lacked conviction.

"Is that your ego talking? I never thought you'd be brainless for some pretty boy."

"I'm _not_ brainless—"

"Then it's your ego." Yeah, he recognized that proud look in her eye.

Mira fumed. "There's this town called Lily Fields that's cordoned off by the council. That woman that Silas was talking to? Her brother lives inside. She had information that others didn't—he was getting it from her."

"Lily Fields?"

"Yes," Mira said.

"What do you know about it?" Laxus asked, remembering Gildarts' and Gramps' conversation.

"Nothing really, just that." She looked at him suspiciously. "Why? Do _you_ know something?"

"No," Laxus lied. It came out smoothly but Mira had a suspicious nature.

"You're a shitty liar."

"Given your history with pretty boy there, I don't think you know what that is," Laxus heard himself say. He clamped his lips together a second later, not sure where the jibe came from or his motivation, but slightly horrified that his mouth moved without his permission.

Mira's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Laxus heard himself speak again. "Get rid of him, Mira, for real."

She was on her knees and reaching her leg across his, not to get on his lap but to get on the floor. "Why, so you can _not_ kiss me when I offer?"

"You'd be pissed, too, if I came to you like this," Laxus told her, not giving any quarter.

Mira snorted and teetered toward her shucked off garments. Laxus thought she'd gather them up and head next door but she actually put her boots on.

"Where are you going?"

"Mind your own business," Mira said.

"Come on, Mira—"

He'd embarrassed her, though. She stood up from yanking her boots on and snatched up her coat. The coup de grâce was her middle finger and his bedroom door slamming loudly. By the time Laxus encouraged himself to stand, he heard the balcony door open and close. He looked out his window and watched Mira slither down the lattice. She didn't fall this time, though she almost did. He watched her look toward the woods, where the river lay, then change her path toward Fairy Hills. He kept his eyes trained on her, squinting to see through the snow, until she grabbed the front door of the building and ducked out of sight. He stayed exactly where he was for five whole minutes, letting his breath fog up the window, then he went back to his bed and flopped down as well as he could, wondering what the _fuck_ his problem was. He should have just kissed her.

* * *

The night felt colder than when she'd walked back from the Kraken; the snow was certainly deeper. She went with purpose, slipping and sliding, skin crawling with what she thought was goosebumps but couldn't be certain. The skin on the back of her neck was standing on end. _Like you're being watched._

 _By Laxus,_ she thought.

Logic kept her heart from crashing through her ribs. It didn't make her less wary, though. She couldn't get out of the darkness soon enough because there, by herself, the storm didn't seem magical anymore but malevolent.

Fairy Hills came out of the snow, a great beast with fires that burned within. She looked up and saw, thankfully, Cana's light was on. In she went, fighting with the wind only a little to get the door open.

The girls' dorm was pink, the floors and the walls, both of differing shades, and clean, smelling like lemon floor cleaner and a bit like cheap body spray, too. Mira took the baby pink stairs up one floor and went right at a painting of a huge sprawled cat. Cana's room came into view. The light was still on, its luminescence bleeding through the crack at floor level.

She'd been walking with conviction all the way up until this moment; here she slowed, suddenly uncertain. What was she doing there? She didn't know. Her cheek hurt from chewing it, her palms from the crescents she left behind with her nails.

 _Go back to Fairy Tail._ She didn't want to walk through the snow again. She didn't want to sleep in her bed while she listened to Elfman and Lisanna. She didn't want to hear Laxus through the wall, she _still_ didn't want the chance to think about Silas tossing Sorcerer Weekly's new front page model.

Mira heard Cana rise from her bed and shuffle around inside, then approach the door. The takeover mage stiffened, listening, listening, wondering what she'd say when Cana opened the door and saw her just standing there, shivering, red nosed, glossy eyed, snow melting on her boots.

The light flicked off behind the door.

 _Do something_ , Mira told herself. _Either go back to Fairy Tail or knock._

She knocked.

Cana opened the door almost immediately. The hallway light touched her cheeks and her soft brown eyes, and the skin at her chest, revealed by the forest green tank top she wore. On her hips was black underwear, but did Cana care that she was less than dressed? "Mira?"

"Hey," Mira said.

"What are you doing here?"

Mira shrugged.

Cana studied her for another beat, then stepped aside. Mira shuffled through into the room, throat suddenly feeling very small. She took off her outerwear to keep the feeling at bay. Only when her coat was hung on the iron hook by the door and her boots were neatly set on the rubber mat beside Cana's own, did she turn and look at Cana in the glow of her blue hippopotamus nightlight plugged into the bathroom wall.

"Are you buzzed?" Cana asked.

"Drunk," Mira clarified.

"Does Penny know you were taking from the bar—"

"I went to the Kraken with Silas," Mira interjected.

Cana twisted her lips to the side, her displeasure evident. "And how was that?"

"Fine." Mira dropped herself to the second bed that wasn't hers and rested her chin in her palm. "He bought me four margaritas, made it seem like we were going to do it right there in the booth, then he got up and started talking to Lena Heart and Gildarts walked in."

"Lena?"

"Sorcerer Weekly's new 'bikini babe'," she said with disdain. "The blonde."

" _Oh._ " Cana pursed her lips.

"I think he's fucking her."

"Mmhm."

"And I tried to kiss Laxus."

"Uh huh." Cana took it in stride.

In the interest of full disclosure, Mira admitted, "And I can't figure out if I want to kiss you."

 _That_ gave Cana pause. "Is that why you came here?"

Mira scrubbed her hands through her hair, frustrated. "I don't know. Ugh." Her face was damp. She swiped away the tears. "I don't even know why I'm crying."

"You're hurt," Cana explained.

"I'm angry."

Cana sighed and came to the bed. Her hands were warm against Mira's cheeks, wiping away more tears. Mira didn't let it last for long, too ashamed. She stood and pushed Cana back. "Excuse me."

Cana held her wrist. "You want to spend the night?"

 _Spend the night?_ Mira's stomach churned with nerves. "Here?"

"It's a single bed, but I think we'll fit," Cana explained.

Mira chewed her cheek again and feigned debate. Her resistance was already frayed, though, her ego bruised, the night looking less than welcoming, and her body tired from a new kind of emotional stress.

Cana asked, "You want pajamas?"

"Do you actually own a pair?" Mira quipped.

The girl shrugged. "I have a tank top."

"Sure."

Cana released her. Mira watched her go to her drawers and dig through for a black shirt. When she returned with it, Mira didn't hesitate like she thought she would, taking off her dress right there. She left it on the floor. Cana looked at her and didn't pretend to not. Mira's stomach churned again, like it did with Silas' hands on her thighs, like it did with Laxus trapped beneath her. She almost wanted to cry again.

She climbed onto the bed and beneath Cana's blue comforter. Cana rubbed her palms on her legs then followed her in. There wasn't much room; there was no choice but to be close. Cana's hand landed on her waist and brought their bodies together.

Mira thought that would be the end of it, but Cana leaned in. The kiss she left her with was chaste, a brush of lips, a squeeze of her hip and then she was gone.

"I'm glad you came here."

Mira didn't respond, not sure how she felt besides burning confusion.

"Good night."

* * *

Despite how late he'd stayed up the night before, Laxus rose early and dressed only in his sweater, a pair of jeans, his new coat and his boots. No socks. Guilt drove him down Fairy Tail's stairs, through the empty guild hall and out into a bright white world. He was kind of shitty to Mira last night, but he could think of something that might endear him to her a bit. He put Fairy Hills in his sights and started the trek through the mountain of snow that had fallen. Some got in his boots, melting and soaking his jeans. He walked faster, ribs and lungs hurting with the effort. He endured it and was rewarded with a shoveled pathway to the front doors and an empty hallway inside.

He'd been in the girls' dorms a few times and knew which room was Cana's. He hobbled up the stairs to her door and knocked as loudly as he dared. He didn't want to wake up the _whole_ place. Secrecy would be good.

He waited thirty seconds then knocked again and repeated that pattern four times. Finally, groaning and squeaking and padding footsteps came to his ears. The door was yanked back by a tousled, half-dressed and red-cheeked Cana. She squinted through her lashes at him.

"Laxus?"

He looked around her without saying hello and found Mira sitting up in the bed. Mira in a low cut shirt and those bright red panties. He felt his cock stiffening and willed it into submission. "Can we talk?"

"What?" Mira rasped in a voice choked with sleep.

Laxus didn't give himself time to think about what he was saying. "It's about that town."

"Huh?"

"Last night. Your boyfriend and that Lena girl—"

Alertness came into Mira's eyes. "Lily Fields?"

 _The road to hell is paved in good intentions._ Laxus' mouth quirked. "I got a secret, if you want to hear it."


	14. Chapter 14

Despite her state of dress, Mira's intrigue had her up and kneeling on the bed. Laxus caught himself staring too long and found something to busy himself with—stepping into the room that smelled like perfume and booze, a scent he found he quite liked when he wasn't grossly hungover. He closed the door. As soon as they had some privacy, Mira started grilling him.

"A secret?" Her gaze was sharp like the tip of a dagger. "What is it?"

"Hang on," Cana cut in. "What is Lily Fields?"

"A town," Laxus explained in a low voice, still concerned with being overheard.

"A town that's been cordoned off," Mira said, also pitching her voice low.

"Why?"

"Yeah," Mira echoed, "Why, Laxus? What do you know?"

"Nothing for sure." He glanced at Cana. "Can you keep your mouth shut?"

"You know what they say, three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead." She smirked at her own joke. When Laxus didn't laugh or smile, she sobered. "Yeah, Laxus, I can keep a secret."

He studied her for another beat as if that would reveal the truth of her integrity. She didn't look any shiftier than usual.

"You can trust her," Mira said, "Right, Cana?"

"Yes," Cana replied.

"Alright," Laxus said, "The other day, I was in Gramps' office getting Porlyusica to change my bandages. The old man called Gildarts in and told him the Council had Lily Fields closed down. Told him no one was getting in or out." He paused for dramatic effect.

"Is that all you know? I could have told you that," Mira said in the silence.

"Yeah? Could you tell me the Council thinks it's demons?" Laxus spilled.

Her expression got tight. "What?"

"That's what Gramps said, anyway," Laxus affirmed. "The Council's got their own mages out there dealing with it."

Mira's fingers balled together in fists. "And Gildarts knew about this?"

"Yeah. Gramps told him just in case they wanted help, but said not to say anything until we knew what was going on," Laxus explained.

"Why would Master keep something like this from me?" Mira didn't seem to hear or care about Laxus' explanation. "He knows I've been looking for demons—he knows how important it is."

"Maybe he just wanted you to be safe," Cana said. "Sounds pretty serious if the council is involved."

Mira didn't seem to hear her. She got her feet on the floor and went looking for last night's dress. It was thrown in a heap by the bed.

"What are you doing?" Cana asked.

"Getting back to the guild, changing and then hitting the road," Mira said.

"Hitting the road?" Cana repeated. "You're going to Lily Fields."

It was a statement, Mira answered anyway. "Yeah."

"And what are you going to do once you're there?"

"Figure out if it _is_ demons or not, and then if it is, I'm going to get in there and bust some heads, find out if they're connected to Tani and figure out where I can find him, _or,_ if Tani's in there, I'm going to kill him."

There wasn't an ounce of trepidation in her voice. She'd thought about this for many years, imagining the day she found the demon that killed her family.

"Well, are you going to take Gildarts at least?" Cana asked.

"You know what he's going to say if I tell him," Mira said. "He'll tell me that's ' _not the Master's wishes_ ' and ' _If he wanted you going off, he would have told you about this himself. Cool your shoes.'_ "

Her impression was spot-on, neither Laxus nor Cana could deny.

Cana wasn't so willing to give up. "Mira, please, you can't go on your own."

"She won't be, I'm going with her," Laxus said at last.

His offer earned him judgemental looks from both Mira and Cana. Mira was the one abrasive enough to point out the obvious. "You're almost useless right now."

"Because I have a few broken ribs?" Laxus asked, thinking of Zan and his threats and his father and his training, and, of course, a red-faced and scowling Porlyusica. She'd have something to say about his involvement. Then again, she _always_ had something to say. "They're fine."

"You couldn't even keep up with me last night when we were coming back from the Kraken," Mira said. "No, thanks, I'm not taking you."

"I didn't ask, Mira, I'm going."

"You'll be too slow—"

"Worry about yourself," Laxus said briskly.

Cana ignored Laxus. "Mira, Master Makarov will be pissed."

"Sure," Mira replied. "If he knows."

"He's _going_ to know. How could he not?"

"Because I'm not going to say anything until this whole thing is done," Mira said, "And neither are you. If I come back and he's still mad… well, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?" She stripped off Cana's shirt right there, less mindful of Laxus' presence than Laxus was. He tried not to look at her, finding Cana instead. That wasn't much help; she was just as scantily clad and unabashed looking at Mira. What he wouldn't give for some insight into their relationship. Did Mira's pretty-boy know she spent the night in someone else's bed? Was it innocent or was there something more? Given the way Cana was hanging off her the other night, Laxus thought he knew how the brunette felt about it.

"Mira…" Cana hedged, bringing Laxus back to reality.

"You promised, Cana," Mira said. "You said you wouldn't say anything."

"Okay, but what if he asks?"

"Tell him you don't know," Mira replied.

"And if Lisanna and Elfman want to know where you've gone?"

Mira's face blanked. "Fuck. I told Elfman that we'd train today."

Cana's face dissolved into a relieved expression. "Guess that means you can't go."

Mira pulled her dress over her body, thankfully covering all that skin. "No, that means when I get back, I apologize and he'll understand because if this is related to the demon that killed our family, he'll be happy that they're gone."

Cana huffed her annoyance. "Be reasonable, Mira."

Mira pulled on her boots and grabbed her still damp coat. "Thanks for letting me stay here last night."

Cana looked to Laxus for help. She got none. Not only did Laxus agree with Mira, he was curious as to what lay in Lily Fields himself.

Cana grabbed the hem of her tank top and squeezed as a form of stress relief. "You can't be serious, guys."

"Deadly."

"Master Makarov—"

"Goodbye, Cana." Mira squeezed the girl's hand before she left, then set a brutal pace in an attempt to determine if Laxus could keep up or not. Laxus shoved aside his gripes and used his height to his advantage, stretching his legs long to keep pace with Mira. Cana didn't try to stop them. Her door closed in their wake.

"You think she'll tell Master?" Mira asked over the sound of her feet on the stairs.

Laxus couldn't answer. "You know her better than I do."

Mira sighed. "She might. Which means I need to move quick, which means, Gimpy, you should stay here."

"I told you I'd keep up," Laxus said. He was making a good play at it, too, only a foot behind Mira.

Her harrumph was drowned out by the sound of the dorm's door sliding over the snowy ground. Outside was bitterly cold and buried in snow. Laxus found his tracks almost covered, the wind obscuring his trail.

"What a shitty day," Mira complained and burrowed deeper into the collar of her coat.

"If you're dressed proper, it's not so bad."

Mira eyed his new coat. "Up until this morning, you weren't one to talk."

Laxus shoved his hands deep into the coat's pockets and changed the subject, uncomfortable for reasons he couldn't quite put name to. Maybe it was Makarov's shameless act of kindness and Laxus' complete inability to accept it for what it was. "How was Cana's?"

Mira looked at him from beneath her lashes. There was a wary expression on her face as she prepared for his next words. "Fine."

"Stay over there often?"

"Why?"

She was all kinds of suspicious. Laxus even thought he knew why, remembering finding her and that guy by the canals so long ago. He couldn't stop his big, stupid mouth from moving. "Just doesn't make a guy feel special, is all. Run out of my room for Cana's after ditching your boyfriend in the bar—"

"He's not my boyfriend," Mira said.

He didn't know _why_ he prodded. "That's not what you were saying last night."

"That was last night."

"So it's Cana then?" Mira stopped in front of the guild, her boots in the snow-filled gardens. She met his eyes squarely, fury evident on her face. Laxus, thankful for the second to catch his breath, held up his hands in surrender. "Just curious."

"Mind your own business, Laxus."

Laxus held back his retort, afraid that she'd ditch him there in Fairy Tail while she went out and had all the fun. "Sure. Let's just get our stuff and get out before we're noticed, right?"

"I don't think you can climb over the balcony as you are," Mira jabbed.

"Lucky for me, I don't have to," Laxus responded. "You're the only one assigned a babysitter." So much for not jabbing.

"I don't want you to come with me," Mira said suddenly. "Stay here, Laxus."

He caught her hand before she could slip away. "Come on, Mira."

She tugged her hand away. "You're an asshole."

"Hey, Pot, I'm Kettle," he said, trying to be humorous. She wasn't biting. "You owe me," Laxus said instead. "If I didn't tell you about this, you'd still be cozy in Cana's bed, pretending you didn't like it."

Mira's expression darkened. Laxus prepared himself for the strike that never came. A slew of emotions flitted over her face, some he expected, anger, frustration, some, like uncertainty and despondence that made her eyes glassier than usual, caught him off guard enough that he almost apologized.

Mira drew herself up and pushed everything down beneath a blank expression. She turned from him and slipped into the guild hall without another word. Laxus looked after her, wondering if that meant she was leaving without him, wondering if he should call her back. He forwent that and worked on getting up stairs and preparing for a short-duration trip. Lily Fields was half a day away by train. He also worked on his best contrite smile, thinking he was going to need it if he was going to ask Mira to pay for his ticket.

* * *

It was still early enough that when Mira slipped into her room, the drapes were drawn. Lisanna's bed was occupied; Mira could see the fan of Lisanna's snowy hair. Elfman's, on the other hand, was empty. Mira's heart sank. She searched the dark and saw a sliver of light seeping out from beneath the washroom door. He was already up and getting ready.

 _You're a horrible sister,_ Mira thought for not the first time. _He's going to be waiting on you._

She validated her decision by thinking of the good that would come out of this. By going to Lily Fields, she could be getting the answers she'd been looking for. Demon hunting was more important than training her little brother; there'd be time for that kind of thing after, when everyone was safe.

Working quickly, she changed her dress for a pair of tights, a woolly sweater, some boots that would keep her feet warm even in the deepest, coldest snow, and a red down-filled jacket that made her sweat as soon as she donned it.

There was no letter left behind this time. The only thing she bothered to do was look around the room once. Last minute, she grabbed her wallet from her nightstand. Shuffling from the washroom made her hurry. She didn't know what to say to Elfman if he caught her before she could slip away.

Closing the door quietly, (she had plenty experience in _that_ ,) she tiptoed to the balcony, slipped over its snowy ledge and shimmied down the icy lattice, hoping to get out and get gone before Laxus could meet up with her and slow her down.

She was almost on the ground when she saw that wasn't going to be possible. He was already leaning against Fairy Tail's façade, another stolen cigarette in the corner of his mouth, hands stuffed into the pocket of his fox fur trimmed coat. He'd managed to grab his headphones, too. Mira could hear something heavy pouring out of the earpieces. She offered him her best scowl in lieu of _hey_ , and set off, walking just as fast as her large boots would allow for.

"Got enough for two train tickets?" Laxus broke the silence.

"You have to be kidding me," Mira muttered.

"Nope."

She didn't reply either way, thinking of all the tricks she knew to get rid of him.

* * *

Though he was injured, Laxus did as he promised and kept up. Their trek left a trail of footprints in the snow that couldn't be hidden, but that was okay, it was windy enough that by the time the sun had fully risen and someone thought to ask where they were, Mother Nature would have done all the hiding for them.

They barely talked, and when they did, it was to jab at one another. Mira enjoyed it as much as she hated it. Occasionally, she checked over her shoulder to make sure they weren't followed. The feeling of being watched hadn't let up since last night, though every time she looked, she couldn't find the culprit.

At the red brick train station, Mira paid for Laxus' ticket, calling herself stupid all the while, and sat next to him, though, so early, the train was near empty, the commuters yet to start their work day. She waited until the train started to move to ask, "Why did you tell me about Lily Fields? Master asked you not to, didn't he?"

"Maybe I just wanted to get out," Laxus said. "I've been trapped in the guild for days."

Mira studied him in that ' _no bullshit'_ way she had. "Yeah? That's all?"

A look in her dark blue eyes and he felt his hard exterior dissolving. "Maybe I felt a little bad after last night." It was easier to keep his eyes on the outside world as he said it. They passed by hectares of forest, huge hunks of granite shield, a canal that held several large boats waiting for the locks to open, a university, more rocks, more forest.

"Yeah?" Mira asked eventually. "Which part?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Maybe," Mira said.

"Maybe not," Laxus replied.

She cut right to the heart of things. "Maybe you're lying and you're actually jealous I spent the night with Cana instead of you."

Laxus finally looked at her and saw the girl he remembered, the one that, below the shitty attitude and ' _keep-you-at-a-distance'_ bullshit, was uncertain. "No." Yes, actually, but he'd never admit it, not in so many words.

She scoffed, seeing through him anyway. "Okay."

"If Cana's good with being rebound then good for her."

"God, you're so fucking _conceited._ What the hell makes you think you were rebound, huh?" Mira exploded.

"You came into my room last night," Laxus said.

"Are you saying you've never had a girl in your room before? Sorry about your luck."

Laxus gave her his best withering look. "There are a lot of girls that will say differently."

Mira propped her feet up on the seat opposite her and crossed her arms over her chest, deciding that the passing towns were more interesting than continuing this conversation.

* * *

Twenty minutes before their stop, Mira noticed that Lily Fields' destination was crossed out on the map. A chat with one of the stewards on the matter revealed a 'no stopping zone.' Which was, as far as Mira was concerned, unacceptable. There was the option of getting off at Thompson station, an hour away by foot, but that would take away precious daylight and she very much wanted all the time she could to assess the situation.

It took a trip to the cabin, a lot of convincing and even some threats to make the train conductor stop at Lily Fields, and then, he didn't announce their destination for the other passengers and only stopped long enough for Mira and Laxus to step out with their small duffle bag each. Then the train was off again, chugging along the track, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

In the weak light of the afternoon sun, Mira looked away from the retreating locomotive and studied their 'quarry'. As far as towns went, Lily Fields was relatively small. There was a library, a general store, a tack shop belonging to a woman who made harnesses, a hardware, and a lacrima shop. And, of course, there was houses. Lots and lots of houses. Some small shacks, quaint in their own right, (most, actually) some large ostentatious mansions belonging to rich people who bought up gross amounts of land, monopolizing on the cost of owning in these underpopulated areas.

From the higher ground located at the desolate train station, Mira looked upon the town highlighted by the bright blue winter sky, thinking it didn't look the same as it had the year before, when she was there with Gildarts taking care of a banshee that had become lost and full of rage (one of her harder kills, and at the end of it, the Lily Fields' mayor, Mr. Rannoch, had given both she and Gildarts a free stay at their most famous resort, Arbour Inn. That was a night she wouldn't soon forget, Gildarts had told her 'good job' and climbed in the hot tub with her. Nothing happened, of course, but looking at all his bare skin, she'd drawn up all kinds of scenarios in which something _could have)_ and not because now the town looked next to empty, but because the town's unique beauty, defined by its lily pad-choked ponds and river stone walks, was now obscured by the myriad of guards that, amongst standing sentry at every conceivable entrance to Lily Fields, all toted swords and a significant amount of magical power. Beyond the barricade, she couldn't _see_ anything—nothing worth seeing, anyway. The town looked… _empty._ She'd be lying if she said she didn't sense a sick power coming from its innards, though, something that made her skin crawl and her throat close and her mind turn unconditionally toward Tani _._ She searched for smoke, an automatic response whenever she thought of the family-stealing demon. There was nothing.

Standing back amongst the trees beside the station, Mira looked upon the spread of the Council's ranks and imagined how she'd get in. Not easily with Laxus at her side, sweaty and pale despite his constant claims that he was _fine_ whenever she cared to ask.

"What do you think? Where should we try to get in?"

"I think I've never been here before," Laxus admitted.

Mira thought hard. "The last time I was here, there was a banshee haunting the town…"

"Yeah?" Laxus asked, expecting more.

Mira shrugged. "I didn't spend a ton of time here, but there were a few farmer's fields that backed out onto the surrounding forest that we might be able to sneak in to."

It was the best plan they had. Laxus waved her on. "Lead the way."

Mira, still experiencing the sense of being watched, pulled up her hood and started away from the train station. The snow was deeper than it had been in Magnolia, reaching almost to the tops of her boots. It was colder, too, the wind's whipping song the only noise in the artificially quiet town. There was no sound of cart wheels, no horses whinnying, no bulls snorting, no people going about their day, shopping for that night's dinner or bartering or arguing.

It was strange.

"I don't see any chimney smoke," Laxus said into the hush as he, following Mira, stepped over the train track and into the coniferous forest. The smell of pine was on the air, and snow. It was going to storm again, if he was any judge. Despite the clear skies, there was grey on the horizon that didn't look like it would be easily scared off.

Mira followed his gaze out to the many houses and searched to verify his statement. Nothing. No chimney smoke, no smell of burning wood, though the weather was cold enough that anyone that went without for any amount of time would freeze. "Do you think they evacuated everyone?"

"Maybe."

"Well, that doesn't sound confident. You don't think they're dead, do you?" Mira voiced what Laxus was thinking.

He searched for signs of natural disaster, earthquake, fire, other weather phenomenon. There was nothing. "There's nothing to say the town's dead."

"There's nothing to say that it's not. If it was evacuated, that girl Lena Silas was talking to doesn't know about it," Mira said. "At least, she didn't yesterday."

Laxus mused, "If everyone is gone, what would kill a whole town?"

Mira popped her thumb in her mouth and gnawed the nail.

"Not scared, are you?" Laxus teased.

"You are, aren't you?" Mira asked, not at all laughing.

Laxus quieted.

"Come on." Mira ducked below a low-hanging white pine branch. Laxus followed her trail, on high alert. His nervousness only grew as they stepped out of the forest toward a cedar fence that blocked off what seemed to be a cattle pen. There were lumps beneath the snow at odd intervals, lumps that, though he couldn't tell what they were, made his heart race.

"Boulders?" Laxus asked, nodding to the strange landscape.

"What else would they be?" Mira's voice was graveyard-quiet.

Laxus could think of several terrible things. While entertaining those morbid fantasies seconds before crossing the fence line, a chirp and a small flurry of movement exploding from a juniper bush had Laxus reacting. Lightning jumped out of his fingers and electrocuted to death a small mammal before he could think twice about it. Mira yelped and leaped out of the way, a field mouse succumbing to the charge. It was over quick, the thing's heart stopping before it felt any real pain. In its wake, Laxus breathed unsteadily of the gross smelling air, feeling guilty and trying to calm himself.

"Damnit, Laxus," Mira hushed. "What the hell?"

"Surprised me," Laxus managed.

Mira rolled her eyes. "Keep your magic to yourself."

He couldn't agree more. That could have been anything—a dog, a child—and he'd just gone in swinging.

Mira drew away from him and ducked with ease beneath the cedar fence. Laxus followed much more slowly. Bending over hurt like fuck. So did standing straight. When you added in the magical barrier he pushed through, one that pricked badly enough that anyone _sane_ would stop, he was batting a thousand. By the time he was on the other side, he felt like he could drop to all fours and either hurl or just sit there, soaking in the misery.

He didn't give himself that luxury and moved, catching up with a retreating Mira. Her coat was bright against the white snow, a red as pure as rubies. Her silver hair lay against the fabric, making her more of a sight.

"Wait up."

Mira looked over her shoulder, a superior—and _forced—_ smile on her mouth. "What's wrong?"

"My ribs are killing me," Laxus admitted at last.

"I told you."

"Shut up. Did you feel that barrier we came through?"

Some of her sauce fell away. "Yeah. It hurt coming in, but I don't think keeping people out is its primary function."

"What do you mean?"

Mira pulled a coin from her pocket. "Gildarts told me about these barriers—the council uses them sometimes to contain really bad guys. Watch this." She took the coin and threw it back the way they entered. It hit an invisible shield and vaporized. She dusted her hands. "Looks like don't touch it."

She was so glib it was unbelievable. "Has anyone ever told you you're kinda fucked?"

Mira waved him off instead of getting annoyed. "Relax. You can feel the field if you concentrate."

"Sure, but how do we get out?" Laxus asked.

"Guess the Council's going to have to let us out," Mira said. "Their barriers don't effect anyone that's got the seal written on their skin."

This was shaping up to be a whole lot of ' _I didn't sign up for this.'_ Mira read it in his face. "Look, I'm in this to win it. You should have known that. I wasn't messing around when I said I wanted to find demons and kill them."

Her resolve was something to behold. "It's fine, I just didn't expect the council to lock us in," Laxus said.

Some of Mira's jagged edge rounded. "Yeah. Neither did I. Let's just hurry up and start looking. The sooner we find out if it's demons or not, the sooner we can take care of things and get the Council to let us—"

She trailed off, focusing on something over Laxus' shoulder. Her brows came together. Then her lips disappeared, pressed together tightly. Laxus whirled and followed her sightline. There, emerging from the woods, was a small white figure in a dark brown coat, a pair of short boots, and sheepskin mitts. Mira's indignant, ' _Elfman_ ,' really put things into perspective.

"Mira." Elfman's voice dissolved any residual reservations Laxus might have had. The kid was scared and cold, it was in the way his words wobbled, in the way his shoulders hunched and he looked at his sister uncertainly.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Mira spat, accepting his presence and acting like Laxus hadn't yet.

Elfman drew himself up. "I—I saw you leave this morning. Without Gildarts."

"That _wasn't_ an invitation for you to tag along!" Mira hissed.

Elfman ducked through the fence without being invited. "You're not allowed—Master said."

"Elfman, stay there," Mira commanded. "If you come any closer you'll pass through the barrier and—"

And too late. Elfman came anyway, ignoring her words. His face squished up in pain, going white then red as the barrier pricked his skin. He burst through, if possible looking even _more_ scared than before. Mira didn't help, cussing the way she was.

"What was that?" Elfman looked, trying to find the source of the resistance. Laxus _felt_ Mira's stress elevate.

"Don't back up!"

Elfman froze.

Mira let out a tense breath. "Good. Just… just come here."

He started forward, moving cautiously. "What's happening? What is this place and what was that thing?"

"It was a magical barrier. This… it's a town called Lily Fields," Mira explained. "It's been cordoned off by the Magic Council because something not good is happening here."

Elfman's eyes got as wide as planets. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I'm doing a _job_ ," Mira said.

"It's not a Fairy Tail sanctioned job," Elfman argued.

"Of course it is," Mira lied.

Elfman shook his head, not nearly as stupid as his sister hoped. "I checked the sign-out board before I followed you."

Mira grunted. " _Seriously,_ Elfman? You have to not spy on me."

"You have to not do stuff like this anymore," Elfman argued.

Laxus' attention was divided between Mira and her brother and the landscape, so he saw when the ground—a small lump both he and Mira had given a wide berth but Elfman was oblivious to—shifted. Every hair on his body stood on end, every instinct screaming. "Come here, Elfman."

"I _am_ ," Elfman complained. He was struggling in the deep snow, trying not to get his feet soaked in his short boots.

Laxus barely looked at him, all of his attention focused now on the pale lump that slowly, so slowly wriggled, loosening its entrapment of snow. His heart was in his throat, his magic in his hands. "Elfman, hurry the fuck up."

The note of panic in his voice encouraged Elfman to move, getting that one step closer—close enough that, when the snow erupted, giving face to that odd lump—a man with bloodshot eyes, wearing a T-shirt tattered enough to reveal a chest and a neck shot through with bulging black veins—Laxus had a little bit of space and a little bit of _time_ to try to stop his aggressive approach using magic. Lightning bounced from his hands and slammed into the man's chest. He didn't drop like other men would have, he still lunged for Elfman and dragged him into the deep snow mound.

Caught off guard, Elfman screamed as he was forced down. Then the sound turned choked. Mira's voice took its place. A puff of snow shot up into the air, blocking for a moment the purity of the sun's light. In that second, red sprayed across the ground's snowy blanket. Then the thrashing began, Elfman fighting with everything he had.

Laxus moved seconds before Mira did. She still beat him there, her body less inhibited by injuries. She didn't draw her magic, though, she was too shocked for that. She dove in with zeal and grabbed her brother's attacker, pulling him off with the kind of brute strength only adrenaline could loan. When the man came up, Elfman did, too, his throat firmly pinched between the man's greying teeth. Elfman yelled and still thrashed; his coat was soaked, his boots and hair was full of snow, his hands looked red and angry, whether from the abuse he was giving them or from the forced fall into the elements.

Laxus watched the struggle unfold, feeling, not for the first time, absolutely useless as, using her fist, Mira hit Elfman's attacker in the face twice. Blood, thick and dark like it was never meant to be, exploded from his lip. It came out sluggishly unlike Elfman's, and smelled putrid enough that Laxus fought not to gag. In the shock that came after the attack, the man loosened his hold on Elfman's neck. Mira, sensing she was getting somewhere, clenched her hands together and brought them down on the man's shoulder. He dropped Elfman to focus on her. Elfman clutched his neck and scurried away, getting closer to Laxus. Mira finally seemed to remember herself and slipped into her Satan Soul. Just in time for a lump ten feet behind her to stir.

"Mira!"

Laxus' warning came too late as another person, this one a woman with hair soaked through and covered with snow, emerged, looking just as veiny and rotten as the last. She moved as only the long-out-in-the-cold could, drunkenly, staggering and swaying toward Mira. Laxus summoned another bolt of lightning and fried her, for all the good it did. She jumped and twitched, even fell, but as soon as the spell faded, she was up again, burned beneath her pastel pink sweater and soft wool skirt.

Laxus tossed a glance Mira's way and saw she wasn't having much luck, either. She hit the man ahead of her with attack after attack. His skin opened and dropped that gross blood, his chest a cavity, but he never stopped approaching her, reaching, reaching with fingers that were white like waxworms. The look on his face was pure rage, it's what kept him going when he should have fallen.

The ground rumbled and the air became statically charged. Laxus' skin crawled. The woman ahead of him stopped in her tracks, her head tilted to the side. Thick black blood started to ooze from her eyes. She twitched weirdly, once, twice, and then, with a pop reminiscent of a balloon exploding, she burst. Laxus closed his eyes and turned his head to the left, making it so he was covered head-to-foot but it wasn't in his mouth or in his eyes. Elfman wasn't so fortunate. The sound of his retching came after three short silent seconds. Once he started, Laxus wanted to follow. The _smell._ There was no escaping it. Another pop came, and Mira's disgusted yell. Laxus swiped his face clean, needing to _see._

Voices came to him, human, coherent. "In the name of the Magic Council, you're under arrest for trespassing and interfering with a crime scene."

Elfman retched again.

"Any attempt to resist will result in a harsher sentence. You have the right to remain silent—"

"Wait." Laxus couldn't see Mira, not yet, but he heard her well enough. "There's been a mistake—we were trying to help—"

"This is a _closed investigation._ You're violating safety protocols—"

"If you just call my guild, you'll see—"

"No guilds were contacted."

"You don't know that. I want to speak to your superior—"

"I _am_ the superior. Lieutenant Randen of the Magic Council's enforcement unit."

Laxus got his eyes clear just in time to watch a pair of magic-binding cuffs settle over his wrists, deposited there by a tall, thick man with a darker than night beard, wearing an annoyed expression on his face. By the time Laxus thought to fight, his magic was already sealed away and it was too late. He found Mira, she was getting similar treatment by a man holding a staff that emanated that weird power that filled the air seconds before.

Laxus searched out Elfman last. The kid was being helped to his feet by a woman. The man tightening Mira's cuffs ordered, "Get that kid stitched up, then get him in for observation."

"Observation?" Mira's voice was high-pitched like it'd never been before. "What does that mean?"

Randen turned a gold-grey eye on her. "That means, you fucked up."

Covered in putrid stink, trapped in handcuffs, Laxus couldn't help but agree. They fucked up pretty good.


	15. Chapter 15

Hauled into a carriage, brought to a squat grey building twenty minutes away from Lily Fields, then dragged into a large industrial-like shower, stripped by burley men and hosed down with freezing water, was one of the most humiliating experiences Laxus had ever had. Add to that the panging in his ribs, the stink he couldn't seem to get out of his nose and the terrible feeling he carried in his chest, and he was downright miserable. Two showerheads over, Mira was getting similar treatment. She cussed like a sailor and demanded to see a separated Elfman. When they told her no, she tried escape thrice, was thrown to the ground unceremoniously and threatened before she quieted.

Laxus opinion of the Magic Council changed drastically.

After that, they were both given rough towels to dry with and plain white cotton tracksuits to wear. They were uncuffed for long enough to draw the clothes on, then it was right back to prisoner status. The only thing they were allowed to keep was their boots.

Now, three hours later, Mira paced the small square room they were locked inside while Laxus watched her hips sway, listened to the swish of her boots and sweated.

A rod of sunlight petered through a small square window, located high overtop of a scratched plastic table that was bolted to the stained concrete floor. An electric heater against the far wall worked overtime, as did the pendulum-style light overhead that gently swayed back and forth on it's metal chain. Laxus could hear the electricity moving through the bulb. He could even feel it if he tried hard enough, but he couldn't grab it; the handcuffs slapped on his wrist made sure of that. He wiggled his wrists back-and-forth in their confines, hearing the metal clank together. Of course, the motion didn't loosen his bonds.

Mira came full-circuit and leaned against the table. Her hair was sweaty and damp, her cheeks were red and her lips were chapped. "What is taking so long?"

"I don't know," Laxus said for what felt like the tenth time.

"Damnit." Mira huffed and started on her way again. She was going to pace a hole in the floor.

"You'd be more comfortable if you stopped and just sat down like they told us."

"Sit down? How can you say that? They have Elfman. You heard them— _they're putting him under observation_. What does that even mean? Why would they have to observe him? What did we walk in on? What is happening in Lily Fields?"

"You know just as much as I do," Laxus told her, stealing a chance to get a word in edgewise. "Just sit down, you're making the room hot."

Mira's aggravated grunt was loud enough that it was startling. Laxus hid his jumpiness beneath a scowl that Mira completely ignored.

"You're like a caged bear."

"And you're a lackadaisical lump." Her eyes dropped to the wall's edge. Her face blanked. "There's a pen over there."

"Good for it."

She scampered over, picked it up awkwardly and came back. She smacked her wrists down on the table. "Help me get out of these."

Laxus pursed his lips. "And how do you think I should do that?"

She wriggled the pen. "Pick the lock."

Laxus pushed her hands away. "What in the hell makes you think I know how to do that?"

Mira snorted and stood straight again. "Neither do I."

"Sit down."

It looked like she wanted to hit him, actually. She turned away and went to the pale and puckered wall where she leaned her back against its unyielding face and slid down to the floor. Her boots came out in front of her, her hands went into her lap. "This is a nightmare. What do you think they're doing to Elfman?"

"Stitching up his neck, giving him rabies shots," Laxus mused.

"And putting him under observation."

"Yeah."

"For _what?_ "

"For whatever was wrong with those people," Laxus said eventually, though he knew it would do _nothing_ to make Mira feel better.

"Do you think they're sick?"

The door opened and Lieutenant Randen entered, now in a black suit and a blue dress shirt. He wore the council's insignia on his lapel and a huge red ring on his hand. On his lined and dark-skinned face was a darker than pitch beard. His coffee coloured eyes were serious. "Yes, Miss Strauss, they are sick."

Mira got to her feet, all aggression once more. "Lieutenant Randen. Where the hell is Elfman? What are you doing to him?"

"Observing him." The man waved to the seat beside Laxus. "Sit and we'll talk."

Mira was in his face in no time. "I don't want to sit; I want to see my brother. I want to get out of here."

"You are a formidable mage, I'm told, Miss Strauss. They call you the She-Devil. Your name is lauded all over Fiore. But here, in this cell in this little shitty town with those cuffs on your wrists, you're a _criminal_ , and not only that, but one without an ounce of magic available to her. _Sit down_ and have a civilized discussion."

"I want to see Elfman."

It was hard to tell because his skin was so dark, but Laxus thought the man's neck flushed red with anger. "And I want a coffee spiked with some twelve-year-old Red Drum, but that can't happen until I'm done with you, now _sit down_." The last held a sprig of power that made Laxus' skin itch. He looked at the man curiously. He didn't look like much. _He works for the council, don't forget_. They didn't hire just _anyone_.

Some of Mira's ire died. She went to the seat without having to be told again. When she dropped down, it was with an indignant huff—one last bit of rebellion. She couldn't help herself.

" _Thank_ you." Randen took the seat on the opposite side of the table. The pendulum light swung back and forth, back and forth, agitated by the breeze opening and closing the door had wrought. Laxus listened to it squeak, watched the light flick over the table, glanced at the sunlit world and thought about how much shit they were going to be in if they got out of there.

"Welcome to the Thompson branch," Randen said after a moment of silent reprieve.

"Thompson doesn't _have_ a Magic Council branch," Mira said.

"It does now," Randen replied. "We needed somewhere close to deal with this crisis."

"Are you going to fuck the dog or tell us what's happening?" Laxus asked.

"Laxus Dreyar, is it?" Randen asked.

Laxus met his eyes. They were a strange colour, gold-grey. "Yeah."

Randen leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together over his stomach. "I suspect that you won't be here for long, but while you are, do exercise some restraint. It's rude to speak to me like that."

"You're holding us against our will," Laxus said. "I'll talk how I want until we're free."

Randen shook his head. "What were you doing in Lily Fields?"

Mira answered. "What the Magic Council isn't."

"Oh?"

"There're demons in that town, isn't there?" Mira demanded. "And you're just letting them do whatever they want. You're incompetent."

Randen surprised them both with an abrupt laugh. "Lily Fields is under quarantine for a disease. One we've dubbed _Rage_ because of its nature. Demons… heh."

Mira's ears were red. "Don't scoff. I _felt_ the power in that town. You can't tell me that there weren't any demons there."

Randen lifted his shoulders. "Sorry, Miss Strauss. I can."

Mira stared him down. "I think you're lying."

"I think I'm not."

Laxus didn't know _what_ he thought.

"Fine," Mira said. "If you're telling the truth, what is this disease?"

"I can't give you many details, you understand," Randen said.

"One of those people _bit_ my brother. You understand why I want to know more about it."

Randen said, "You're foolhardy. Bringing a child like that along—"

"He _followed me_ ," Mira hissed. "I didn't bring him anywhere. He should have stayed home."

"You should spend more time raising your siblings and less time chasing ghosts, I feel," Randen said. "Word is you hunt everything even remotely related to demons."

"What about it?" Mira asked.

"Sounds like a good way to die."

"Mind your own business."

"Just some advice, Miss Strauss. Though, I suppose it'd be too late to tell you to stop now. You've already caught someone's eye, haven't you?"

Mira's gaze sharpened. "What do you know about it?"

"It was just an observation. No one fights as hard or as viciously as you do without there being some sort of vendetta. Right?"

Mira's lips pressed into a straight line. "Tell me about the disease."

Randen's smile was less than friendly. "Very well. It changes everyone unlucky enough to contract it. Makes them aggressive. They don't care much about themselves, they look for uninfected and attack them. We think its to spread the contamination. We've lost several people this way trying to contain the outbreak."

Laxus glanced Mira's way. She looked stricken. "And then?"

"And then they rage themselves out. They don't eat, they don't sleep. Eventually, they die of exhaustion or starvation or exposure."

Mira's lip was red and swollen from chewing it so hard. "And Elfman? He'll be like this, too?"

"Actually, Elfman came back with a clean bill of health," Randen said.

"He did?"

"Yes."

Mira didn't look like she was going to argue; Laxus couldn't help himself. "How? I saw one of those people bite him."

If looks could kill, he'd be gone by one of Mira's ten times over.

Randen rubbed his chin. "It is perplexing, isn't it? We don't understand much about this disease, where it came from or how its transferred. However, we do know that once a person becomes infected, it moves quickly. They start showing signs of distress within the hour. Elevated heartrate, irritability, a narcotization of the veins. After being checked by our physicians and three hours of observation, the worst thing afflicting Elfman Strauss is worry. We're going to keep him overnight to be certain, though."

Mira collapsed back in her chair and sank down. "He's really alright?"

"It seems that way," Randen said.

She immediately softened. "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of him."

Randen rose. "I won't thank you for bringing him my way. Follow me."

"To where?" Laxus asked.

"Your cell," the man replied.

"Cell?" Mira repeated.

"We've had a civil conversation, I've done my civic duty telling you about your brother, now you pay the consequences for breaking the law. You're still criminals and criminals deserve punishment."

"Can't you just let us go?" Mira asked. "We didn't really do anything."

Randen was immovable. "Nothing except go against council orders, break into a secured town, risk infecting hundreds. And, as I have it, uttering threats to a train conductor."

"That wasn't how it went," Mira protested.

Randen waved a large calloused hand. That ruby red stone glittered in the sun like a miniature fire. "Please, how did it go?"

"Do these cuffs come off in the cell?" Laxus interrupted, uninterested in playing this game.

"All of our cells are magically warded, so yes," Randen agreed.

Laxus rose. "Then let's go."

" _Laxus_ ," Mira hissed.

Laxus hardly looked at her. "No sense in fighting, Mira. They're not going to let us go just because we ask, right old man?"

"Right," Randen agreed. "I'm glad to see that you're pragmatic like your father."

Laxus wanted to ask how he knew his father. He wanted to get out of the stifling room more. He kept his questions to himself and grabbed Mira's hand as much as the cuffs would allow. She fought to get out of his grip. He tightened his hold and tugged her up, too. "Lead on."

Randen nodded. "This way." The outer door opened without his assistance, spilling them back into the grey hallway they'd entered earlier. It was just as desolate and unadorned as it had been then.

"What happens to Elfman?" Mira's voice echoed. "He didn't do anything; you don't need to arrest him. He was just following me."

"I'm aware," Randen said. "Elfman will be returned to Fairy Tail tomorrow morning if he still passes his physical."

Mira quieted.

"What's the sentence for all the crap you're holding us on?" Laxus asked.

"Well…" Randen looked back over his shoulder. The lights overhead played through his dark hair. It didn't shine, it was too without luster for that. "First you need to be convicted. The charges get pressed, your case is heard by a judge, the Magic Council decides what to do with you."

"Sounds lengthy."

"I don't imagine it will be," Randen disagreed. "Cases like this are usually in and out, especially given your age."

"What does that mean?" Mira asked.

Randen made an abrupt turn down a hallway. There, at its terminus, was the first person Laxus had seen since their showers, excluding present company, guarding a thick and windowless metal door. The man was portly, stuffed into a too-small guard uniform, and armed with a gun that sat at his hip. Mira eyed him warily; Laxus joined her. His skin was back to crawling, though he couldn't say exactly why.

"Open up, Clarence," Randen said. "They're going to be staying a little while."

"Yes, Sir." Clarence did as he was asked, moving with a surprising amount of speed and surety for someone so portly and clumsy looking. The door opened with a squeal of metal on metal. Beyond was a small square room set up with three cells, two of which were occupied, one by a bedraggled woman who was red-eyed and red-nosed. She sniffled; she'd been crying for some time. The other held a boy who sat flat on the floor, his back against the wall. He was in a long-sleeved T-shirt and track pants like Laxus and Mira, however, it was much colder in this part of the building and he shivered, cold. Why he didn't get up and sit on the bed was beyond Laxus.

"More trespassers?" Laxus asked.

"Perceptive, Mr. Dreyar," Randen said.

The woman came to the bars and leaned against them. "Mr. Randen?"

"The town is still under quarantine, Irena."

She started to cry more.

Randen softened. "Your son hasn't been found either way. Could be, he's still alive."

"And Petra's father?" the woman asked.

Randen only said, "Mr. Collins and I did have an altercation today."

"And?" Irena asked.

The boy in the cell beside hers—Petra, Laxus had to assume—still stared blankly.

"Petra and I will discuss that later," Randen said.

Laxus thought of the man Mira all but eviscerated today. Hopefully, that wasn't who the woman was referring to.

Randen stopped at the last free cell. "Apertus," he spoke. With the command word, the door dissolved open rather than swung. He ushered both Laxus and Mira inside and tackled their cuffs with a brass key. "I'll have Clarence bring you two some dinner and some water while I talk to my superiors."

Mira rubbed her freed wrists. "When can I see Elfman?"

Randen met her eyes. "When I'm confident he won't be a danger to you or anyone else."

She blew out a breath and turned away from him, going for the cot bolted to the wall. When she sat down, the metal protested loudly.

"Sit tight," Randen said. He took Laxus' cuffs away and exited. The cell bars came back into existence without provocation. The outer door closed. Then it was just he, Mira and the other two occupants across the hall. Laxus went to the cell door and repeated Randen's command word. As he thought, it got him nowhere.

"That won't work," Irena said, solidifying his assumptions. "It is spelled to listen to Mr. Randen's and Clarence's commands only."

"Yeah, thanks." It was hard to mask his sarcasm.

"We're so screwed," Mira griped. "Why did I ask you what you knew this morning?"

Laxus faced her. "Because you wanted to know."

"Not this badly."

"We're not trapped here," Laxus said.

" _Hello,_ we're in a _cell."_

"Yeah, and we will be for a while," Laxus agreed. "But he's just trying to intimidate us."

Mira scrubbed her face. "How can you _say that_?"

Because he'd read the man accurately, he was sure. "It's a tactic, Mira, to make sure when we get out, we're going to obey the law like good citizens. He said we wouldn't be in here for long, and when I asked about the sentence, he totally ignored my question. He's not really planning on charging us."

"If that's so, then why the hell are they still in here?" Mira pointed to their jail mates.

Laxus shrugged. "Maybe their crimes are more serious." He looked toward them. Neither seemed interested in revealing their plights. He faced Mira again. "Trust me, everything's going to be fine. They'll hold us until they're sure Elfman is okay, and then we'll go on our merry way."

Mira weaved her fingers through her sweaty hair. "This is so fucked up."

Yeah, it was. Laxus joined her on the cot. It really whined with his weight added to the mix. Beside him, Mira tensed, waiting for the metal wall supports to give up the ghost. They held.

Relaxed again, Mira looked at him through a lock of pure white hair. "What if you're wrong and they don't let us out?"

"Cana will let Gramps know and he'll figure something out?" Laxus suggested without enough confidence to make Mira relax.

"Or not and we'll be stuck here forever. Sorcerer Weekly is going to find out and drop my contract, no one's going to want to hire me, Lisanna and Elfman are going to have a criminal for a sister—"

"You're blowing this _way_ out of proportion," Laxus said.

"You make it sound like _no big deal_. We got _arrested,_ Laxus, by the _Magic Council_ —"

Laxus cut in. "Last year, my buddy Cora and I got picked up for snatching booze at a liquor store in Trinity. We were held up for twenty-four hours because the cops wanted to teach us a lesson. We spent the night in jail freaking out just like you are now. In the morning, they let us out with a warning. It'll be the same here."

"This isn't the same," Mira argued after a moment. "This—it's more serious than petty theft."

Laxus rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to be nonchalant. It was mostly working; Mira's fears were only eroding his surety when he gave them the chance to.

* * *

Clarence brought them chicken soup and bread for dinner. Mira hardly ate hers; Laxus finished it for her and was still hungry.

The lights went out around nine. Mira laid down, taking up the majority of the cot. Laxus let her have it, mostly. He sat at the edge with his back against the wall, Mira's feet up on his legs. Light snores came from the other side of the room. Irena and the boy were asleep. Bored to death, Laxus closed his eyes and drifted. Mira's incessant shivering kept him from fully passing out.

"Are you asleep?" he whispered eventually.

"No."

Of course not. Laxus tapped her feet. "Watch out." Mira didn't complain, though she was slow to obey, reluctant to give up even that bit of warmth. When he was able, Laxus stood and whispered, "Move over."

Mira rolled sort of on her back and met his eyes in the dark. "What?"

"Move over," Laxus repeated, unsure of what he'd do if she refused. She didn't, sliding over so she was almost against the wall. Painstakingly, Laxus lowered himself down beside her and, more awkwardly than he would have liked—and not just because his ribs were screaming—he wrapped his arm around her middle. The cotton of her enforcement-issued garb was rough. Beneath it, he imagined her skin was soft and cool. The pain dulled in the passing seconds. He settled in, tucking his arm beneath his head, then, with his nose in her hair, there wasn't much to do but breathe her in. She smelled like inexpensive bar soap. He wished she smelled like her again, like cherry perfume, like cold air, like whisky, like Cana's bed.

Mira's whisper came. "It's kind of warmer now. Thanks."

Uncomfortable half-on and half-off the cot, Laxus didn't accept her thanks, unable to determine if he could stay like that for any extended amount of time. Moving just right set his ribs to flaming.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Mira's whisper snatched Laxus from his quiet misery.

"Hm?"

"Elfman. What if he's cold?"

"He's tough, Mira." He tried to be, anyway.

"Well… what if he's still sick?"

Assurance wasn't something Laxus thought he did very well. He tried to channel his grandfather as he said, "You heard Randen. He's not showing any signs of the disease."

"Yeah," she said. Then, "Do you think he's freaked out after watching those people die?"

"Are you?"

"It's different than seeing demons die. I've killed before, but…"

He knew what she meant. He couldn't compare watching that woman burst to anything else in his life. It was an image that would stick with him always.

"And Randen… he didn't even flinch."

"Guess he's had to do stuff like that a lot," Laxus said.

Mira asked, "Randen… Do you think he's strange?"

Plenty, he wasn't sure if Mira was on the same page, though. "Strange how?"

"Earlier today when we were standing in that field and we felt his power, it was…"

"Yeah." Overwhelming. The kind that stuck to the back of your throat and left an impression.

Mira whispered, "It kind of felt like Gildarts', didn't it?"

Only not at all. It felt more like Zan's. He knew Mira felt the same way. She was afraid to say exactly _what_ it felt like, though. Demons weren't supposed to be in the Magic Council, after all. Laxus said, "If he's a lieutenant, he's a pretty big deal in the council. I haven't met many of the enforcement unit," Just a few here and there whenever his dad had business with them. "But I imagine they're all like that."

"What if—"

"All those men around Lily Fields belonged to the Magic Council," Laxus said with finality. "That guy's just in a league of his own, that's why his magic felt weird."

"I'm not crazy, Laxus. I know I felt demons by Lily Fields."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Do you think Randen's lying?"

"Maybe."

"Why?"

"You heard him," Laxus said. "He thinks its none of our business. Maybe he's trying to avoid a panic or something."

"Maybe."

Things got quiet again.

"Hey." Mira said, "Thanks for telling me about this place. It didn't work out the way we wanted, but that was pretty cool of you."

"Sure, but if Gramps finds out, you're going to be in big shit when you get back," Laxus murmured into her hair.

"So are you."

Maybe. Yeah. "Sounds like I didn't do either of us any favours."

Mira shrugged. "If Elfman didn't follow us out here, it would have been worth the risk."

"Yeah? Even though you were stuck with slow ass me?" he teased.

Mira turned a little so she could look directly in his eyes and said, "You're alright, Dreyar."

Laxus pretended that his ribs weren't aching with her pressing into them. "High praise coming from Sorcerer Weekly's 'demon queen', huh?"

Even in the darkness, Laxus saw Mira roll her eyes. "It's _She-Devil_ , actually."

"In last January's issue, they called you a demon queen," Laxus corrected. "I remember."

Mira pursed her lips. "How do you know that crap?"

He thought of the stack of Sorcerer Weekly magazines tucked beneath his mattress in Raven Tail and admitted, "For a while, reading those shitty magazines was the only connection I had to Fairy Tail."

Mira softened further. "You really didn't get my letters?"

"No."

"Why? What happened?"

Laxus thought of the box of crisp white papers saying _Mirajane Strauss_ on the front and felt a heavy weight settle in his chest. _That's shame._ For his father, for himself for not realizing sooner. "Does it matter?"

Mira wriggled around so she was facing him more directly. Chest-to-chest, the crappy cotton shirts didn't offer much of a barrier. Laxus kept his hand on her waist, now feeling her lower back and the topmost swell of her behind. He felt his body trying to react and put a quick stop to that. They were in a prison cell, first and foremost, Mira was all twisted up with that photographer, no matter what she said or who she spent the night with, and lastly…

"Maybe." Her voice wasn't husky and sex-filled, it was _concerned._ "And then you come back like this." She gently touched his still split lip. "What happened?"

Her question quelled his growing libido faster than any logic might. "Doesn't matter, Mira. The only thing that does is that it's not going to happen again."

"I hope not." She let her fingers drop away and curled her arm up between them. Laxus met her eyes until she closed them, thinking of Zan and his father and Gildarts and Gramps. He was back to feeling torn in two, duty and obligation warring with reason and resentment. Just days ago, he dismissed the idea of ever returning to Raven Tail, but now…

Now he was thinking about it more than he liked.

 _You have four days now._

He closed his eyes and did everything he could to push that from his mind.

* * *

Without the aid of the sun, it was hard to tell exactly what time it was when voices and footfalls called Laxus from a restless sleep. His eyes cracked open, focusing first on the soft curve of Mira's ear, on the four golden studs she had stabbed through the lobe, on the threads of her silver hair, and then, in contrast, the puckered water-stained wall just behind her. By the time he got there and realized exactly where he still was, his mind had time to digest and register the voices. One belonged to Lieutenant Randen, the other…

"You kept him locked up in here all night?"

Was Ivan Dreyar.

"He received the same treatment as everyone else," Randen said. "As is the Magic Council's protocol."

"Crawford told me he'd be comfortable while I settled this." Ivan sounded more irritable than usual. Laxus pinched his eyes closed, wondering (hoping) he was still asleep. The footsteps came to a halt outside of his and Mira's cell. Mira wriggled, still trapped in the confines of Laxus' arm, coming more awake and unintentionally proving that it was not, in fact, a very vivid dream Laxus was having.

"He looks plenty comfortable to me," Randen said. He raised his voice, blocking out whatever horrible thing Ivan had to say on the matter. "Best be waking, Mr. Dreyar, your father is here."

Laxus' eyes were pulled in by Mira's. She was well and truly awake, looking up at him in confusion and then propping herself up to look over his shoulder. _You can't ignore it_ , Laxus thought. He grunted and untangled himself from Mira's grasp and slowly, so slowly, got himself first sitting up, then turned over so he could address their visitors.

His father always seemed to command the attention in the room, but today, as he stood back with his arms crossed in front of his chest, it was for a different reason entirely. His face was black and blue, swollen from a severe beating.

At first, Laxus thought _good,_ then he wondered _why_? And not just _why,_ but by _whom?_ Zan and others the demon was affiliated with?

Ivan didn't give him a chance to speak. "Get up, Laxus. We've got a train to catch."

"What?"

"I've negotiated the terms of your release," Ivan said with mock patience. "Get up. We're leaving."

Laxus grabbed Mira's hand and got to his feet.

"Just you," Ivan said, reading him clearly.

"I'm not leaving her here," Laxus said.

"Makarov is on his way to collect her now, he won't be long."

"Then Laxus will come back to Fairy Tail with us," Mira spoke.

Ivan didn't look at her, addressing Laxus only. "Zan told me you understood why you needed to come home."

"We talked," Laxus said hesitantly.

"Then we're clear." When he spoke, Ivan's lip split again and blood collected at the corner of his mouth. He daubed it away impatiently, using a handkerchief from the pocket of his green peacoat. It was that frustrated and humiliated movement that broke Laxus down enough to release Mira's hand.

"Gramps is coming?"

"Yes," Ivan said.

"For sure?"

"I spoke with him myself," Randen said. "He'll be in to collect the Strausses shortly."

Laxus glanced at Mira; she looked torn between relief and outrage.

Ivan waved Randen on to open the cell. "Apertus," the lieutenant muttered and the bars dissolved.

Mira grabbed Laxus' hand again. "If Master Makarov will be here soon, just wait."

"No time for waiting," Ivan said when Laxus hesitated. "Our train leaves in five minutes."

"Alright." Laxus pulled out of Mira's grip.

" _Laxus_ ," Mira hissed. "You told me you weren't going back."

Yeah, he did. She didn't understand, though. As much as he hated his father… the lacrima that kept him alive was his father's doing, and now the demon that created it was threatening the man's life. "I'll come back for a visit, Mira. Soon." He looked to his father as he said it, tempting the old man to challenge him. Ivan looked on impassively, difficult to read as ever.

"In another three years?" Mira asked sarcastically.

He shook his head. "A lot sooner than that. Whenever I can."

Mira's irritation wasn't satiated. "What about Master Makarov? You're not even going to wait to tell him? Just give it a few minutes."

"We're on a schedule," Ivan told her.

"There'll be other trains," Mira snapped.

Laxus said, "I'll call Gramps when I get back."

Mira was ruthless. "Like you did before?"

"This isn't like before," Laxus maintained. He kept his father's eye as he said it, daring, daring. There was no flash of anger, no stubborn malice. Ivan looked like a man defeated.

No, it wasn't going to be like it was before.

Laxus glanced one more time at Mira. "I'll see you soon."

She didn't bother responding, all of her attention was on Ivan. The expression on her face was enough to chill Laxus to the bone. _She knows_. _She knows your secret. She knows you're dealing with demons. She knows that's why you're taking off again._ He rubbed his chest, unable to help himself, and felt the raised scar.

A train whistle seeped through the cell's concrete wall.

"Come, son," Ivan said. He turned, peacoat belling in his wake.

"We'll talk soon," Laxus told Mira again, following his father. Very distantly, he noted that as he passed, Petra's and Irena's cells were empty.

Mira didn't reply.

* * *

Mira thought she'd make a career out of staring through the bars to the opposite wall. It was cold again, and without Laxus' body heat to keep her warm, she was miserable and cranky. And her stomach was gurgling. And she had to pee. But had she seen anyone in five hours?

After Laxus' abrupt departure, she'd expected to be stuck in the cell for another hour at most, but now she was wondering if she'd _ever_ leave. Or ever see her brother or sister again. _Maybe you'll just rot in this cell and the council will have one less headache._

The sound of the outer door unlocking made her rise. She crossed to the bars, pressed her cheek against them, and peeked down the hall where Clarence waddled in.

"Thank the gods. I've had to pee since this morning, you know? And I'm starving. It's barbaric to treat your prisoners this way. I'm going to be filing a complaint—"

Clarence moved his robust body to the left and revealed a head of snow-white hair.

" _Elfman_ ," Mira spat. And behind him, Master Makarov. And behind _him_ was Cana, tucked into a long deerskin coat.

"Mira." Elfman's voice sounded used.

Mira reached through the bars for his hand. His skin was cold and his eyes were bruised. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he told her.

"Open this cell immediately," Makarov instructed.

"Apertus," Clarence said. The metal dissolved.

Mira spilled out and gathered Elfman into a bone crushing hug. He took a while to return it, but when he did, Mira found she was squeezed tightly enough that she couldn't catch breath.

"Where is Laxus?" Makarov demanded.

It was Clarence that answered. "Mr. Dreyar came to pick him up, Sir."

" _I_ am Mr. Dreyar," Makarov said.

"Ivan Dreyar, Sir," Clarence clarified.

Makarov's face went red. "Where are they?"

"They left five hours ago," Clarence said.

Makarov's irritation spiked. " _Five hours_? How is it that Ivan knew and I had to contact you?"

Interesting, when Ivan _and_ Randen said Makarov had been told and that he was on his way. Mira filed that away.

"Mr. Dreyar was dealing with the council directly," Clarence explained.

Makarov fumed. "The council will hear of this—this _shit show_ you people are running here."

Mira held Elfman tight and caught Cana's eyes. She was looking at Master Makarov like he'd grown two heads.

"I only guard the cells, Sir," Clarence said.

"Well, when I'm through, the only job you'll be able to get is scrubbing them," Makarov said with finality. He looked to Mira and Elfman. "Come."

Mira felt like she'd been transported back in time, to a place where Master Makarov had escorted her and her siblings away from a slew of angry townsmen. "Come on, Elfman." She took his hand and tugged him down the hallway, following behind Master Makarov who followed behind Cana. She asked, "Where is Lisanna?"

"Playing checkers with Natsu, if you care," Makarov snapped.

Mira felt the jab like a punch to the guts. "Why wouldn't I care? She's my sister."

Makarov only lent her a scathing look. That alone was enough to properly shame her, no words were necessary. In an attempt to make things a little better, she said, "Laxus said he'd call you."

The back of Makarov's neck flushed red. "The best thing you can do right now, Mirajane, is shut up."

Mira pressed her lips together. The hallway opened into a large room with a desk across from a set of wide glass doors. A woman sat behind it, dark hair twisted up in an elaborate bun, golden glasses on a long, straight nose. Miss Shelby, Randen had called her.

"I'll finish the paperwork, Mr. Dreyar, and mail it to Fairy Tail for you to sign."

Makarov grunted, too annoyed to say much else.

"My coat," Mira said when she realized that Makarov was heading out just as he was. "And Elfman's—"

"It's been burned," Cana said when it was obvious that Makarov wasn't going to answer her. She held open the door for Mira and Elfman, then grabbed Mira's hand and laced their fingers together. Mira let her because it was warmer with Cana pressing into her one side and Elfman the other. It was cold in the outside world, but sunny. There wasn't a lick of breeze to cut through their thin clothes.

Mira kept her eyes ahead on Master Makarov. He set a fast pace, moving through Thompson's downtown core to the train station like a man possessed. "Burned?"

Elfman said dully, "They were contaminated."

The way he said it resonated in Mira's mind. _Contaminated._

Cana squeezed her fingers. "I'm sorry, Mira. I told Master where you and Laxus went when you guys still hadn't shown up at eleven. As soon as he knew… he flipped."

Mira didn't get mad. If Cana hadn't said anything, she still be sitting in a cell, waiting for a release that would never come.


	16. Chapter 16

Through the train's steel floor, Laxus felt the roll of the wheels over the track. The feeling vibrated up his spine and into his head, coaxing a headache into being. For a while, he kept his attention divided between that growing pain and the outside world, watching trees and rocks roll by, and then bridges with graffiti stenciled into their concrete, next, rivers with peaceful waters slipped in and out of sight. Laxus did everything he could to prolong the silence to force his father into speaking first. Ivan could put a monk's swear to silence to shame. Laxus stole a look at him across the compartment. He hadn't moved since they boarded—his arms were still across his chest and there was still a sour look on his beaten face. Finally, Laxus couldn't help himself.

"Lieutenant Randen said Lily Fields was infected by a disease, but Mira thinks it was demons."

Ivan's grey eyes moved from the scenery to Laxus'. "Well, no one can say she doesn't have a nose for the parasites."

Laxus' stomach flipped once unpleasantly. "She was right? There were demons in that town?" He kept his voice low, though they had privacy in their closed train compartment. "Then why is the council lying and saying that there wasn't?"

"For reasons you wouldn't understand, Laxus," Ivan said glibly.

"Try me."

"Very well." His voice was dry, condescending. "The council wants to keep the attack quiet because they don't want to cause panic. They've captured what they believe to be the demon responsible and they've issued a burn order. Lily Fields will be wiped from the map within the hour without a shred of evidence left of its existence. They'll think up some story or dub it a natural disaster, all in the name of keeping the peace."

Laxus' stomach swirled harder. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Ivan replied.

He still had a hard time swallowing that. "What the hell were demons doing there?"

Ivan studied him. "Do you truly want to know?"

 _No._ But yes. "Tell me."

Ivan tipped his head. "Very well. When Zan saw that you weren't at Raven Tail and I couldn't answer as to your whereabouts because someone was ignoring my calls, he decided that, because he was receiving pressure from _his_ employer, he'd try amassing magic energy in a similar way as your dragon slaying lacrima. He chose a person at random in Lily Fields and gave them a 'new and improved' lacrima, one that would suck eathernano not only from the air and the ground, but also from his fellow townsmen. What was left behind was magic barrier particles—which typically kill mages on the spot, but for normal people… they go mad first. What you saw in Lily Fields was a result of that madness. I hope this lesson goes well learned."

Laxus' mouth felt full of cotton. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"Of course not entirely, but you are not free from responsibility." Ivan leaned forward into a beam of morning light. So illuminated, the bruise beneath his eye was ugly, mottled brown and purple and green. "You can't deny that I told you Raven Tail was a good place for you."

"You _packed my bags for me_ ," Laxus growled. Shittily at that, but this was not the time to think of the bare necessities his father left him with.

"Because I thought you needed time to cool down, that you'd see reason and return on your own. This is what I get for giving you that liberty." Ivan waved dramatically at his face. "I thought you understood the severity of the obligations that befell me when I asked Zan to save your life."

"No. Don't pin this on me," Laxus said when he could get around the guilt well enough to get mad. Mad meant brave—he poked Ivan hard in the chest. "This is on you. You hid my letters, you fucked up my ribs. And even if you _hadn't,_ I told you when I was a kid that we should have killed that fucking demon, but did you listen?"

Ivan's jaw jumped. Laxus noted his fingers flexing and prepared himself. The blow never came. Brave again, he continued. "And now there are hundreds of people dead and the council are murderers." The council who was supposed to _protect_ mages and citizens and all of Fiore. He felt betrayed in a strange way, though he didn't know any of the councilmen personally. He supposed it was the _idea_ of a greater force gone sour that added that heavy weight to his shoulders.

Ivan's laugh was harsh and short. "Don't be so naive, boy. The council has always been that way. They're murderers that hide behind law and welfare. That's how they keep order. Anytime something of this magnitude threatens Fiore, their first response is to gut it."

Laxus immediately denied him. "That can't be right—"

Ivan's eyes got hard and mean. "Because you say? Don't be fooled, they're as ruthless as demons. If you don't believe me, do some research. I'll even help you out. Start with Highland Gate, the town that miraculously succumbed to the ocean. If you're bored with that, you can look into Fenlon Cove, where every citizen has undergone treatment for severe memory loss."

"Why would they have memory loss?" Laxus asked despite himself.

"Because their memories were taken away," Ivan replied.

"Why?"

He threw his hands up in the air. "If I knew, it wouldn't be much of a _secret_ conspiracy, would it?"

Laxus waved him off. Any nut could think up bullshit conspiracies _._ "Even if that were true, you're missing the point."

"Please," Ivan said. "Tell me, Laxus, what is the point?"

Laxus had to try hard to keep his voice low. "That this is _your_ fault. If you didn't make these deals with these demons, we wouldn't be having these problems. We should kill them. Zan an anyone he's involved with. Today. Call him to Raven Tail. Have him meet us there. We'll do it, together." It would give his father a chance at redemption.

Ivan studied him long and hard. Eventually, he said, "While I see your tactics are noble, we need Zan."

"For _what?_ " Both Laxus' head and his ribs panged, loudly objecting his animated hand-talking and skyrocketing blood pressure.

Calm once more, Ivan said, "Every time you turn around, you're almost breaking that lacrima. If it's gone, so are you."

"After you fucked up my ribs so badly, I didn't think you cared, old man." Laxus poured on the venom.

Ivan didn't apologize. "You were being stupid. Just as you were being stupid running off into that poisoned town. You almost died like the rest of those mad mutts."

Laxus stood—to get off the train, to add his own knuckles to the bruises on his father's face, he didn't know. Ivan grabbed his forearm and hauled him down again. " _Sit down_."

Laxus tore out of his father's grip and pretended his one-two breaths were caused by anger and not pain. "They were _people_ , not 'mad mutts'."

Ivan's jaw bounced again. He composed himself. "You're right, I was too harsh. Many people are dead, it's downright _tragic_. We fixed the situation, though, it won't happen again now that you're coming home, so let's look to the future."

"The situation isn't fixed until we tell the council about Zan." _And your lacrima?_ The same lacrima that hundreds had, in a roundabout way, died for? He imagined the look on Gramps' face if he knew the truth, on Mira's face and everyone in Fairy Tail. It made him feel sick.

Ivan's gaze turned tired and resigned. "Councillor Crawford knows everything already. My word was what gave him the idea to search for demons instead of diseases in Lily Fields."

Laxus paused. "You tipped them off?"

"Of course," Ivan said. "I took a great risk informing him of Zan's insidious plan, but how could I live with myself knowing that something like that could spread to everyone in Fiore? We'd all be dead. I had to do something."

Laxus appraised him. Maybe he didn't give his old man enough credit. But... "Zan wasn't the demon the council captured, though, was he? He's still on the lamb?"

"One of his own took the fall for him."

"Because you told him what you were going to do?" Laxus asked. Just like that, his appraisal fell away. This new light his father was casting himself in wasn't the most flattering.

"It was a sacrifice to keep you healthy and safe," Ivan said without missing a beat. "I had to do something, but I needed Zan free. This move has scared him—the council almost caught him. He'll think twice before endangering people like that again because you go rogue or your lacrima isn't coming along as quickly as he would like."

Laxus scrubbed his face, in vicious war with himself. "He still might try again," he said between his fingers.

Ivan casted an eye his way. "So righteous. When did that happen? The son that left Raven Tail a few days ago didn't give a damn about anything but himself."

Laxus dropped his hands away. "Does that sound like me? I'm sitting across from you, aren't I? Ensuring that the devils _you_ made a deal with don't come to collect your head. Does that sound like the actions of someone selfish?"

Something incredible happened: Ivan softened like warm butter. "You're a good son, Laxus."

Laxus was disappointed by how much he enjoyed hearing that. He was also disappointed by how much wind Ivan's claim stole from his sails.

"Councillor Crawford voiced the same concerns as you. I revealed all to him in confidence and he suggested that for now, we keep our heads down, keep this ruse going until we can determine if you'll be alright without Zan's meddling."

"Well, you can tell Councillor Crawford that my lacrima is _fine_ ," Laxus said. "I don't need Zan."

"You don't know that."

"The last time I had an incident was with Curran."

"You haven't really pushed yourself since then," Ivan replied.

"That's bullshit." It wasn't really, they both knew it.

"You've been lazy," Ivan said. "Coasting by. Let me tell you something, Laxus. You're a good mage. You're better than most in Raven Tail. But if you want to be the best of the best, S-Class, you're going to find people that will _push you nearly to breaking_ , and I can almost guarantee they'll succeed. You're not ready yet."

"That's crap and you know it," Laxus said, aware that his father was stringing him along in that way he had but haplessly playing into it for the sake of his goddamn ego. It seemed all the Dreyar men were prone to it.

"Very well, prove it. You'll start training with Kurohebi. We'll see the strength of your lacrima then."

"That little punk?" Laxus scoffed. "I'll cream him."

A spark came to Ivan's eyes. "Don't be so sure. Kurohebi has mimic magic, Laxus. Anything you throw at him, he'll be able to push back. We'd be testing the strength of your lacrima against itself."

"I can handle him," Laxus said with finality.

"Sure."

"If I'm right, we deal with Zan," Laxus said.

"Whatever you say, son. And if I'm right, we'll do things my way and act when the time is right."

"Fine."

"I'm glad that's settled." Looking out the window, Ivan said idly, "You know, Laxus, my friendship with Councillor Crawford and his _mercy_ are the only reasons why you and that trollop weren't burned in that town. I suggest sending him Christmas cards from here on out, boy, you owe him your life. It was the council's intention to eliminate everyone that had come into contact with Lily Fields."

Laxus didn't reply, thinking about Mira and her obsession with demons. It was going to get her into trouble. Anyone that knew her at all could see that.

* * *

The train ride home was disturbingly silent. Elfman fell asleep on Mira's shoulder and stayed that way all the way back to Magnolia. Still crushed between he and Cana, Mira was comfortable enough that she thought she could pass out as well. It turned out, she was too stressed for that. The source of her turmoil leaned his forehead against the window and watched the world whip by, a bitter look on his face.

So many times on that hour-long journey, Mira almost asked Master Makarov if he was going to kick her and her siblings out of Fairy Tail. So many times, the words lodged firmly in her throat until she was practically suffocating on them. _Do it_ , and get her answer, _don't,_ because he might not even be thinking about that kind of punishment.

In the end, she was a coward and let that sleeping dog lie.

By the time the train stopped, the sun was low on the horizon and Elfman had stopped shivering. Just in time to get out in the open air and start again. He was groggy when Mira woke him, a state that did very little for her concern. He was so lethargic. _Why?_ She kept wondering if he was actually sick and the council had been wrong. She was afraid of asking _that_ question, too, thinking _contaminated_ , and what that meant if it were true—what would happen?

 _I'll just keep my eye on him,_ she thought.

Stepping off the train onto the crowded track, Mira had no trouble picking Lisanna out in the crowd, her cap of snowy hair stood out, even though she was shorter than everyone else. Beside her, looking tall and sour and as gruff as he ever had before, Gildarts pegged Mira with a look that could wilt crops.

"I don't think he's very happy with you," Cana whispered. There was a strange note in her voice. _Jealousy,_ Mira wondered, though why Cana would be jealous of her being on the receiving end of Gildarts' shitty attitude was beyond her.

Makarov grunted his hello to Gildarts before shoving past him and heading back toward the guild. Likewise, Gildarts was equally as gruff. Even Lisanna seemed angry. She didn't really smile at Mira or Elfman. She hugged them, though, burying her face in Mira's nape and squeezing hard enough that Mira's ribs protested.

Gildarts said, "Here."

Mira looked up from the top of Lisanna's head and found him unclipping his cloak. Beneath it, he wore a plain black long-sleeved T-shirt. It was probably one of the only things he owned without holes in it. He held the material out to she and Elfman.

"Master didn't drag your asses back so you could die here in the streets from cold. Take it," he encouraged when Mira just looked at it. She almost told him no just because. Elfman was shivering, though, and honestly, her bullheadedness had taken a hard hit.

"Thank you." She accepted the smoke filled, cologne and alcohol drenched fabric. Though it was dry, the smells clung to it. Mira breathed it in, guiltily basking in its familiarity. She wrapped the threadbare cloak around her and Elfman both; there was still plenty of fabric to spare. Lisanna kept herself at Gildarts' side, holding on to their mother's necklace around her neck and fixing her eyes on the ground.

"Where's Laxus?" Gildarts only dared to ask when Makarov was out of hearing range.

"His father came to get him," Cana said from Mira's side.

"He wanted to go back to Raven Tail," Mira added. That still smarted. She didn't know if she had the right to feel betrayed, but she definitely did.

Gildarts shook his head slowly. "That kid."

Mira wrapped her arm around Elfman and started after Master Makarov. "He said it wouldn't be like last time. That he'd call and visit when he could."

"You believe that?" Gildarts asked dryly.

"I don't know. You don't I take it?"

"Somethings you can't change, Mira. Somethings are just bred-in-the-bone. Like that kid trying to please his shitty father. Like his shitty father manipulating him."

Mira asked, "Did his dad really do that to him? Beat him up like that?"

Gildarts only looked at her from the corner of his eye. His silence was enough of an answer. Mira's guilt tripled. _And you let him leave._ No wonder Master Makarov was angry. _I didn't know_. She'd suspected, though.

Elfman shivered. Mira pulled him closer and walked faster.

* * *

That night, Lisanna waited until they were in bed and midnight was approaching to whisper Mira's name. It was too dark in the room to really see her face. Mira turned anyway, staring where her sister _should_ be. "Yeah?"

"Gildarts said what you did was selfish."

Mira's throat burned with anger. Gildarts' betrayal was unexpected. "I was trying to keep you safe."

"You said Mom's necklace would do that."

"I said it'll tell you when demons are around," Mira corrected. On a whim, she asked, "It hasn't been hot lately, has it?"

Lisanna was too quiet for Mira's liking.

"Lisanna?"

"No, Mira. It's fine."

"Why do I not believe you?"

"That's a lot, coming from you."

Mira pushed herself up on her elbow. "What did you just say to me?"

Lisanna's bed squeaked as she rolled over on her side. Mira imagined that she'd pulled her blankets up over her head, too, as she used to do when she was small and throwing a temper tantrum. Her suspicions were confirmed upon hearing a quiet snuffle.

"Lisanna—"

"Shut up, Mira."

She nearly left Lisanna to wallow until the morning. Then she remembered the hollow look in Elfman's eye all the way back on the train, and the accusatory glares Lisanna kept sending her way all throughout town and she couldn't let it be.

The floor was cold beneath her feet; her skin raised in goose bumps. Navigating the room by memory, Mira tiptoed to Lisanna's bed. She was aware of Elfman two beds over; he'd been dozing, as he had for the majority of the day, but now he listened, though he pretended not to.

Mira blindly grabbed Lisanna's blankets to pull them back and met resistance. Lisanna had a firm hold on them, keeping herself cocooned beneath. "Let me in."

"No," Lisanna said.

"Come on, Lisanna."

"Go away."

"I'm your big sister. Shut up and let me in," Mira said impatiently. She grabbed the blankets and tugged as hard as she could while Lisanna likewise held firmly. Mira ended up pulling Lisanna's whole body up off the bed. When she was able, she let go of her sister and threw herself down on the mattress before Lisanna could fall back in place and lock her out again.

Lisanna hissed in frustration and threw off the blankets in an attempt to stand. Mira grabbed her around the waist and pulled her right back in bed. She locked her arms and legs around Lisanna's small and spindly eleven-year-old frame, keeping her in place even when she pushed and used words Mira had never heard her little sister use before.

"Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?"

"Listening to _you_ ," Lisanna fumed. "Let go of me right now."

"Not until you tell me why you're being the world's _worst_ brat," Mira said. She spoke with conviction but her heart took a punch and it was floundering.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Mira tightened her hold, dragging Lisanna closer to her body. Her sister was thin enough that Mira could feel her spine digging into her sternum. God, didn't she eat? It disturbed Mira that she couldn't answer that—not with any surety. It'd been a long time since she'd really hung out with Lisanna and Elfman. Like, she _saw_ them. But she didn't spend time at meals to make sure that they were eating what they should be. Not that Elfman was a problem, he ate _all the time_ , but Lisanna had always been picky. _One thing at a time._ "You've been giving me filthy looks _all day_. I want to know why, and cut the bullshit."

Lisanna wriggled. "You're hurting me."

"Good. Talk."

"Mira—"

" _Now._ "

Mira felt Lisanna wither. Another tremor took her body, and then the girl spilled, "You're always running away from us."

"What?"

"All you do is hunt demons and spend time taking pictures with your stupid boyfriend. Elfman wanted to train with you and you ran off after you _promised_."

Why were they always using each other against her? "I hunt those demons to protect you. I took off yesterday because I thought Lily Fields was under attack by Tani, the demon that killed Mom and Dad."

"It's been _years_ , Mira. No one's bothered us. Not since Gildarts came home. The demons don't care anymore."

Mira wasn't so sure. "I can't take that chance. I have to find him."

"You're doing a really bad job at it," Lisanna said cuttingly.

Mira took that blow inelegantly. "I'm _trying_ , Lisanna. I have no leads. No one's talking. No one knows where to find Tani or anyone else he's closely associated with. He's a ghost."

"You should treat him like one, too," Lisanna said. "Otherwise, you'll be like that."

"Lisanna, I'm doing this for you and Elfman," Mira told her.

Lisanna's next words cut Mira to the bone. "Me and Elfman don't care. We both think you're wasting your time."

"How can you say that? This is Mom and Dad's killer we're talking about."

Lisanna didn't say anything. She curled in on herself and hiccoughed.

Eventually, Mira let her go and stood.

* * *

Mira didn't care about her dress as she descended the stairs into the guild hall below. So what if everyone saw the pink pajama's Lisanna had given her for her birthday? For once, she was tired of pretending.

The guild was almost empty. At one end, Gray slept with his head pillowed on a scored table, at the other, Macao and Wakaba leaned in together, having an intense conversation, and there, at the bar, Gildarts sat alone with his favorite beer in hand. He'd been talking to Penny but stopped when he saw Mira. She didn't hesitate coming to his side and climbing up on the barstool next to him. Penny moved off.

"Can't sleep?" Gildarts asked.

"No," Mira grumbled.

He looked around the mostly empty bar before handing her the rest of his half-drunk Honeydale. He helped himself to one over the counter without Penny's approval and cracked it open. He'd taken a deep swallow before asking, "What's up, kid?"

Mira didn't try to hide slugging back Gildarts' beer. After she swallowed she said, "Master hates me, Lisanna hates me, Elfman—I don't even know. He hasn't been himself. He followed me to Lily Fields and saw the council kill two people and he's…"

"In shock," Gildarts offered. "It'll pass, hopefully. Elfman's a tough kid—give him some time to process. As for Master… He's mad, yeah, but hate? He'll get over it. Don't know if you know this or not, but the Dreyar's are all hotheads. Every single one of them. Makarov… sometimes I think he's the worst of the bunch. Or he used to be. Old age has tamed him some."

Mira found her mouth trying to quirk into a smile. She doused it quick.

"He was scared for you and Laxus. And now Laxus is with his father again…" Gildarts shook his head. Then he sighed, coming to some kind of peace. "He'll figure it out. As for Lisanna… She's young, temperamental. She's upset her big sister is leaving her behind all the time. She's… she's trying to figure things out. What is she now, eleven?"

"Turning twelve soon," Mira said overtop the beer bottle.

Gildarts drank another mouthful. "Hormones."

Mira looked at him blandly. "You can't just see a problem and call it hormones."

He snorted. "Oh, I don't. It's a process of elimination. I ask myself these three simple questions. 'Is it a girl?" Yes, go to number two. 'Is she young?' If the answer's yes again, on to number three. 'Is she a Strauss?' Ding, ding, ding, it's fucking hormones, Mira. She'll… fuck. Well, hopefully she doesn't ride it out like you have."

"I think I take exception to that," Mira grumbled.

Gildarts nudged her shoulder. "Take exceptions by drinking your beer."

She did. Gildarts grabbed her another. And another after that, even after Penny caught them and gave them an earful. Gildarts flirted with her shamelessly and convinced her to look the other way. How he did it, Mira didn't know. He had a charm. A damn annoying one. She'd take his beer, though, and flirt. It was undeniably fun, and it kept her mind away from stupid Laxus.

She stayed there until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. He took her upstairs and dropped her on her bed, despite her insistence to go to Fairy Hills.

* * *

A week of silence passed between Mira and Master Makarov, with the only words spoken between them being, "You're forbidden from taking jobs until I say so," the day after her return from Lily Fields. News of the town's fate came promptly that day as well, the newspaper claiming, _'During an effort to contain a highly contagious pathogen, tragedy strikes. Paranoid citizen sets flame to troubled village. Fire steals all'_.

For once, Mira didn't mind being cooped up. It gave her time to process Lisanna's words, turn them around, see the truth in them. Thus, she spent most of her confinement training with Elfman. Two days in, Lisanna called off her silent treatment and started to act like nothing had happened, even joining their training session once in a while. There was a problem, though. The younger girl smiled, she laughed and participated. But she was sullen, _and_ teetering on the verge of anorexia. She hardly ate, and when she did, it wasn't anything substantial. Mira confronted her; after that, Lisanna made sure to shovel food into her face whenever Mira was watching. When Lisanna thought she wasn't, though, she'd give her food to Elfman or Natsu then grab at their mother's necklace and stare off into space. And then there was her hours of disappearing.

At first, Mira thought she was sneaking off with Natsu—she was a little young for that crap, but you never know. That wasn't the case, though. Natsu was generally either causing trouble with Gray and Erza or he was tooling around, hunting down anyone willing to fight with him.

She never caught Lisanna sneaking around, though it wasn't for a lack of trying. She was slyer than Mira gave her credit for, choosing the moments Mira and Elfman were knee-deep in takeover magic to do her neat disappearing act. When she'd find her again, Lisanna was generally in their bedroom, staring out at the snow-cloaked world.

On a blisteringly cold February day in Fairy Tail's guild hall, Cana dropped herself onto the bench beside Mira and leaned in. She was freezing, fresh in from the outside. "Did Gildarts tell you Silas was here to see you again?"

As he had been every few days for the last week.

Mira didn't lean away from the girl like she thought she should. She kept her shoulder exactly where it was, waiting to see if Cana would move. Just the opposite. She came closer, really huddling in for warmth. Mira pushed her hot apple cider around on the scuffed table and looked over the top of the booth, checking on Elfman and Lisanna over by the fireplace playing a game of cards with Natsu. They were enthralled, chortling and chirping as they hadn't for days. "He mentioned it."

"You haven't talked to him?"

She rolled her eyes. "You were the one telling me to ditch Silas, why are you so eager for me to talk to him now?"

Cana shrugged. "Maybe so you can officially tell him to fuck off. Get those pictures back from him…"

The pictures. Right.

"I'll get to it. I'm sure he's got the hint by now."

"Hey. I thought maybe you'd want to hang out tonight," Cana said idly. "You know, come to Fairy Hills and we'll chill."

Mira didn't get the chance to say either way, Master Makarov's door opened and he popped his head out into the guild. "Mirajane."

Mira bit her lips together and peeked over the back of the booth. Makarov found her in no time. "Into my office."

Mira slumped back into her chair.

"What now?" Cana asked.

"Maybe he's finally deciding to kick me out," Mira grumbled.

Cana shook her head. "I don't think so. He looked kinda happy to me."

"Seriously?" He looked as crabby as ever to Mira.

"Yeah." Cana stood and let Mira slide out. Mira took the walk like she was going to the gallows.

* * *

In his father's study, Laxus had his feet up on the dark wooden desk, his father's favorite gold pen pinched between his middle finger and his thumb. It was a look of forced casualness, put on for his grandfather and subsequently Mira. He was striving for an air of 'everything is fine, no broken bones here' and was sort of succeeding, he supposed. Never mind that today, while training, Ivan had 'forgotten' about his old injury and fractured those same ribs again with a well-timed kick that came after Laxus' demand to use the lacrima to contact Fairy Tail.

If he didn't move too abruptly, everything was _fine._

Through the fuzzy lacrima, he watched Gramps go out into Fairy Tail's guild hall, heard the distant warble of Mira's name out of his mouth, and then, seconds later, Mira's snowy figure came into the office. She didn't look as she normally did, which was to say, she looked as timid as a mouse caught in a trap. The look completely disappeared when Gramps directed her toward the lacrima and let himself out. Laxus watched a change come over her. Gone was the girl about to be reprimanded, back was that scrap of She-Devil, the persona she gave to the tabloids and most everyone she spoke to.

She sauntered over to Makarov's desk, hips swaying beneath a black pleated skirt, maroon shirt hugging her curves. She dropped herself in the Master's chair like she belonged and crossed her leg up over her knee. "Laxus."

"Hey, Mira."

"I guess you're not a shitty liar all the time, you did call like you said." She plucked at the hem of her skirt as she spoke, a nervous tick to belie her superior smile.

"I just wanted to let you know, there's something coming for you in the mail. You should keep your eye out for it. I sent it the day after I got back to Raven Tail, so it should be there soon."

Mira's brow quirked. "Oh?"

"Yeah."

"For real this time?"

Laxus glanced around for his father. He was alone. "I gave it to the post myself. It'll get there."

"Hm." She abandoned the hem of her skirt (thank the gods, it was distracting, her lifting that fabric) and twirled a silver lock of hair around her finger instead. "What is it?"

"A communication lacrima," he told her. "One with a direct link with another that I bought. That way, I don't have to come into the old man's office to contact you or Gramps."

Mira's smile was genuine. "Are you going to be calling me often?"

Laxus' shrug was supposed to be nonchalant. "Sometimes." Cora was in the back of his mind, tripping him up. Not that they'd ever been official or anything, not really. _It's just talking_ , he thought. Which brought him to his next bit of news. "And I'm coming back for a couple days in a few weeks."

Mira paused her hair curling. "You are?"

"Yeah. Just for a couple days, though. Then I gotta get back."

Her smile brightened more. "Cool."

Laxus returned her grin, feeling like for the first time in years that he could actually do this.

Abruptly, Mira said, "I'm going to hang out with Cana tonight."

Laxus studied her closely. She looked like she wanted him to say something, challenge her decision, tell her no maybe even, get him to ask her why she was doing that. Or say something mean. He replied, "Sounds like a lot of fun. Wish I was there."

Her smirk got sharp. "Yeah, I know why you want to be here."

Laxus didn't miss a beat. "Is it going to be that kind of hang out?" Mira stammered like he hoped she would. It only got worse when he said, "I think it'll be good for you, Strauss. Scratch that itch. Then let me know how it went."

She recovered. "Want me to take a picture?"

Laxus' smile was automatic and wide. "I never knew you to be a nice girl."

"I'm not."

No, sending a picture like that would be rather mean. Laxus shook his head and tried to pull the conversation away from the realms of ' _I'm going to be thinking about this all night.'_ "Listen, when you get that lacrima, let me know. There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"A secret, Laxus?" Mira teased.

"Something like that," he replied, thinking of Lily Fields and the demons and the council's orders to eradicate everything and everyone that came into contact with the place.

There was something sassy and sly on her tongue, something meant to embarrass him and make him hot under the collar. He never got to know what because his father opened the study door and said, "Kurohebi has returned. You'll begin training immediately, Laxus."

Laxus chewed back his annoyance. "I gotta go, Mira."

Her smile fell away, disappointment taking its place. "Alright. I'll let you know when I get that lacrima."

"Yeah." He didn't look at his father as he said it, afraid to see the glower on Ivan's face. "Tell Gramps I said bye." He cut off the communication without waiting for a reply and slowly took his feet off his father's desk.

Ivan said, "You told me you were contacting your grandfather."

"I was," Laxus replied. His feet hit the ground; his ribs quieted their loud griping.

"Makarov has changed quite a bit then, young, busty, pretty mouth."

"She was just there," Laxus replied.

"She's a distraction. And a dangerous one at that."

"Don't start," Laxus said with force.

Ivan said, "I'm only trying to do what's best for you."

Gone were the days he believed that in its entirely. Ivan Dreyar was one of the most selfish people he'd ever known.

* * *

Still sitting in Makarov's office, looking a the now-dull lacrima, Mira turned Laxus' words over in her head. She was a sucker for a good secret and didn't know if she could wait until the post got there to figure out just what it was. It would keep her up at night, even more than Lisanna's strange behaviour and Elfman's _oh so gradual_ return to his usual antics. She had hope this morning when he wolfed down a plate of pancakes the size of a mountain and asked Macao if he wanted to train, though he'd been in bed again by two, totally wiped.

A knock sounded on the office door. Mira stood from Makarov's chair. "Yes?"

When it opened, Makarov entered. He looked untidier than usual with his hair tufted and his cheeks slightly rosy. He closed them in together. "I think it's time we talked, Mirajane."

Mira felt her heart crash. It'd been so long, she thought she was going to get away from what she did with her own shame as punishment. "Okay."

He came in and put himself against the large window's frame at the back of the office. His grey hair looked almost pure white with the snow outside reflecting off it. He looked out at the coniferous trees that hid the river out back, gathering his thoughts. It took so long, Mira wanted to fidget. Finally, he said, "I give you a lot of concessions and a lot of freedoms, more than I give the others. You're hardly the only one here without any family, though you are the only one with children to raise in your parents' stead."

"Yes, Sir."

"You carry a unique burden. But you are not alone. You are a part of Fairy Tail's family now."

"Yes, Sir," she agreed.

"Families help each other."

Mira's ears burned. "Yes."

"I'm sorry I wasn't forthcoming with Lily Fields." He stopped there and waited patiently. Mira realized he wanted her to speak. She told him what she thought he wanted to hear.

"And… I'm sorry I took off with Laxus without letting you know what I was planning." Apologizing was hard; admitting she was wrong was even tougher. Thankfully, he didn't make her say those exact words.

He turned his back to her and faced the snowy world, as seen through his office window. "Mirajane, it's been quiet since Lisanna was attacked in town that day. I have a feeling that period of peace is quickly coming to an end."

Mira's adrenaline spiked. "Why would you say that?"

"Call it an old man's intuition," Makarov said. "We'll do things as we always have, which means you may resume taking jobs again. With Gildarts."

Now was not the time to push for independence. Mira accepted his decree, just glad that she had a bit of freedom back. "Thank you."

"You're free to go."

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, Mira said, "Yes, Sir."

Coming out of the office, she saw Cana was still waiting for her. She had her coat on and beneath its folds was a bottle of whisky she'd begged from Macao. "Are you still going to come over?"

Mira's stomach bounced. She'd told Laxus that she was in order to test her own resolve. She was nervous. It was _because_ of that nervousness and the need to quash it that she nodded. "Yeah, Cana. I'll come over."

* * *

Elffi on Deviant Art. Check out his shit. Look for his Gildarts cosplay. If you're not in love, you're not human. I need a cold glass of water. Whew.


	17. Chapter 17

Kurohebi was weird, there wasn't two ways about it. It was a fact that Laxus decided when the guy first joined Raven Tail years ago, and it was something that had only made itself more apparent as time wore on. Honestly, he did a lot of things to earn him that mantle, but what really got to Laxus was his penchant for hunting down snakes and tugging their bones from their backs to make fine jewellery. It took him _forever_ to string together onto a length of fishing line and it always broke. Snake bones were delicate, thin, lightweight. The ones that didn't shatter apart, he used to try to give to Cora, until Laxus broke his fingers for it one day. Now, as far as Laxus knew, he gave the macabre monstrosities to Flare and she was getting a real collection. She even wore them sometimes. She had necklaces and bracelets and intricate clips and baubles for her hair.

She fell into the groove of 'fucked' as well.

That evening as Laxus entered the training hall to find Kurohebi all in black curled on the matted floor, he was in no less sinister fashion. He smiled at Laxus with the mouth he'd slit wide on his own (anything to be more reptilian) and bared the teeth he'd filed into points. "Laxus Dreyar." He even made an effort to _sound_ like a snake, prolonging his _s'_ s so he sounded like some two-bit villain in a movie.

Laxus straightened his spine, breathing in the training room air—not too deep, his ribs hated that, but deep enough to fill his lungs. It had only been a few weeks since he'd been in this room, yet it felt like forever. "Kurohebi," he said shortly.

The man stood, limber, and tipped his head to the side. "Master Ivan says you've been a bad boy. He says you don't appreciate us. He wants you to see again that you need us."

Laxus' skin crawled. "We're here to fight, not talk."

"Of course."

Aware of his father watching from the sidelines, arms crossed over his wide chest, Laxus gathered power and prepared himself. The door opened and Cora entered, too. She was in a delicate pink dress tonight, one that was too short and too deeply cut in the front. It was something that was made to catch his attention, and it was working. Which was sort of counterproductive, really, when he was trying to win a fight and prove to his father that his lacrima could survive Zan's death. How pathetic would it be if it couldn't withstand a pair of tits? Nice ones, mind you, but _still_.

Laxus noticed that Kurohebi was _also_ looking at her. He felt revulsion for the girl and used that as fuel to attack. Keeping his body still so he didn't hurt his ribs and calling magic to skate across the floor to its target meant he didn't give Kurohebi much warning. Lightning crawled up the man's feet and terminated in his chest. He was brought to the floor, leg muscles giving out beneath the powerful electrical surge. Kurohebi was a drooling mess before the lightning dissipated, frothing from his too-wide mouth and jerking uselessly.

Laxus looked to his father, thinking that would be the end of it. Ivan's mouth was a straight line, twitching just slightly seconds before Laxus found himself suddenly airborne. It was the training room's padded wall that saved him from a concussion, though it did little for his middle. Pain flared, loud and hot. He slumped to the floor, unable to get his feet beneath him. Cora gasped dramatically, Laxus entertained puking.

Through bleary eyes he spied Kurohebi coming on in that strange way he had, his legs and arms moving _not quite right_ , much more fluidly than any man's. "Do you admit defeat, Laxus Dreyar?"

 _Get up_. Laxus held his breath and clambered to his feet, relying heavily on the wall to do a lot of the work for him. Then he just stood there for a moment, looking at the approaching Kurohebi. He seemed to glow beneath the overhead light, inky black hair almost iridescent. _Like snake scales._

 _What the fuck?_ _Focus._ He felt for the magic his lacrima gave up eagerly and pulled and pulled and pulled, thinking he'd hit Kurohebi with so much force that he wouldn't get back up again, that way he wouldn't be able to turn his spell around on him.

"Careful," Cora said from the sidelines. Her dark hair was a static mess around her shoulders. Laxus might have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain.

Ivan said nothing.

Lightning cracked down from the ceiling, converging on Kurohebi's location, the flash so bright that Laxus closed his eyes. He lost sight of his target for only a moment, but in that time, Kurohebi had dodged. Laxus tasted blood in his mouth, then a force hit him in the middle.

Laxus had never been hit with electricity before—at least, nothing stronger than an electric cow fence, but the feeling was unmistakable. Every single muscle tensed for a moment as the charge took hold of his body, his mind blanked, and then the pain came. The smell of burning filled his nose, acrid, his legs went out from beneath him. He regained control of his body at the last moment to avoid pissing himself. It was still several seconds before he could draw breath. His heart did strange things, palpitating in his chest while his mouth watered.

"I think that's enough, Kurohebi," Ivan said from the sidelines.

Laxus gathered the dexterity to spit out a glob of blood. He didn't get it very far, most ended up on his shirt. At least he wasn't choking on it now. His nausea was quickly reaching a peak. "I'm still good." The words were slurred.

"You're on your knees, Laxus, the fight is done," Ivan said.

He wasn't singing that tune when it was Curran on the verge of collapse.

 _You're not Curran. You're not done._ He struggled to get to his feet. The world dipped and swayed. His mouth watered again—a wholly unpleasant experience with so much blood filling it, too. He spat again and would have wiped his mouth, but Kurohebi was there, swinging. Laxus was fast enough to see that he was augmenting his punches with lightning. It was unpleasant, to say the least, to have his own tricks played on him. Laxus lurched out of the range of the blow. Off balance, Kurohebi stumbled past, allowing Laxus to get his first real hit in, catching the man in the back of the neck. He went down, but didn't end up on the floor, he fell into shadow, mimicking someone else's magic, and skated up the wall to the ceiling, where he remerged not as a man but as a sprig of powerful electricity.

Laxus did the only thing he could think and used his lightning as a shield of sorts. He felt his own magic falter and Kurohebi's magic swell last minute. His shield was burst through like it was made of cellophane.

* * *

Lying flat on her back on the carpeted floor, Mira couldn't help but notice that Cana's ceiling was stucco, and that there were tarot cards stuck to the weird bumps. The first she spied was the fool. _New beginnings,_ she thought. And beside it was the hanged man.

"What does that one mean?" she asked because she couldn't remember.

From her side, Cana followed her line of sight to the card. "The hanged man is supposed to be for letting go. if you've hung on to an ideal too long, or a love. Something like that."

Next one over was the devil.

"And that one?"

Cana let out a breath like someone getting into something she very much didn't want to get into and explained, "Sometimes, people think they're backed into a corner and they're out of options. The card means that's rarely the case."

"No one should ever make deals with devils," Mira murmured.

Cana sat up so she could find Mira's eyes with her hazel ones. "Is that your professional opinion, She-Devil?"

Mira felt her mouth curling into a smile. She flattened it. "Why do you have so many cards taped to your ceiling?"

Cana threw herself back down. "They're not taped. They're stuck. I keep doing card readings and they keep doing that crap. Guess so I can look at the cards all the damn time. Nice, right?"

Strange was more like. There were a lot of things she didn't understand about card magic, though. "Whose readings are they from?"

"My own."

Mira rolled her head over on her shoulders. "There are like, fifty cards up there."

"Yeah."

"Why? Why have you been doing so many readings?"

Cana shrugged. "I guess… I don't know, Mira. I'm trying to find a way to tell someone something very important. And I think about it and think about it, but I can't find the perfect way. It never seems right. He's always busy. I thought maybe the cards would give me some insight or something."

"A guy?" Mira asked. There was a knot of disappointment and relief in her chest that was all hopelessly tangled together. With Cana's words, one of the tangles unwound itself. If she was thinking about a guy, she wasn't thinking about Mira.

"It's not _that_ kind of thing," Cana said, tangling up those threads once more. "That would be easy."

"You think?" Mira asked.

"Yeah. When you know what you want."

The alcohol made Mira loose-tongued. "I never know."

Cana got back up on her elbow. "I don't believe that."

Mira pursed her lips. "Oh yeah? I think I should be the judge of that, it's my indecisiveness after all."

Cana searched her eyes, a look overcoming her. Mira's heart cramped and her breath crawled in and out of her chest when she put name to that look. Want. She'd had plenty of men look at her that way, but Cana was the only girl that ever did and Mira _still,_ after so many years, _had no fucking idea_ what to do with it.

"Cana…"

"Yeah?"

Mira fumbled. "Silas—"

"You said you were done."

Right. "Um…"

"Are you and Laxus hooking up?" Cana asked.

Mira couldn't say yes so she shook her head.

"Then is there anyone else?"

"No."

"You're scared."

Of course she was fucking scared. Mira licked her lips and kept her face schooled. "I'm fine."

The girl saw through her. "If you're worried about being official, we could just... do whatever," Cana whispered.

"What does that mean?" Mira asked.

Cana's breath broke over Mira's lips. "I mean... we can be as involved or uninvolved as you want. If you just want someone to come to sometimes... that's okay. If you want something more... that's okay, too. Whatever."

Mira searched Cana's face to see if she was telling the truth or not. The girl's hazel eyes were heavy lidded and glazed. The want that was in her gaze was the kind that was exciting and nerve-wracking and made Mira's stomach twinge _. I can't do this._ And yet, she didn't do anything to pull away, either. She glanced through her lashes at Cana's lips. They were damp with blueberry lip gloss and leftover whisky, it was all she could smell. Soon, it was all she could taste, too, when she leaned forward and pressed their mouths together in a chaste kiss just to prove that she could.

"See?" Cana asked when she pulled away. "Nothing bad happened."

Mira's lips tingled. "No."

"Did you like it?"

"It was better than that time beneath the maple," Mira told her with a smile.

Cana snorted. "You were a shitty kisser then."

Everything was easier after that laugh. "You weren't much better."

Cana pinched her bottom lip between her teeth. "And now?"

Mira smiled. "Pretty good."

Cana rolled her eyes. "Probably the best you've had."

Mira didn't say either way, there were still a lot of people she hadn't kissed. "I told Laxus I was coming here. He wanted us to take a picture."

Cana's gaze turned wicked. She searched beneath her bed and pulled out a polaroid camera.

"What are you doing?"

"Exactly that," Cana said with a catlike grin.

Mira played along, sure Cana was kidding right up to the point where the girl pressed their mouths together again while she held out the camera and depressed the button. There was a flash and a mechanical buzz. Seconds later, a black picture rolled out from the bottom. Cana snatched it out and shook it until their likeness showed up. Mira looked at the picture skeptically. It was strange seeing herself kissing another girl. Stranger still to think about sending it to Laxus.

Cana pulled out a tarot card and focused on it. Her magic came; the lovers on the front of the card were replaced by the image of Mira and Cana together. The girl then whispered, "Laxus Dreyar,' into its face.

Mira felt Cana's magic bloom. "What is that?"

"The post is for chumps." Cana snapped the card into the air and Mira watched it disappear.

" _Cana_ ," Mira squeaked. "Tell me that is _not_ on its way to Raven Tail."

Her smile was ear-to-ear. "Sorry, Mira, can't do that."

"Gods." She didn't know whether to laugh or be mad. She laughed. "I can't believe you."

"Me either." Cana sat up straighter. "While you're feeling brave, you want to go get those pictures back from King Douche?"

"Right now?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Cana stood and straightened her shirt. "Come on." She reached down and pulled Mira up.

 _Master's going to be pissed if you run off again._ On the other hand, this _wasn't_ a job and she had someone with her. He didn't expressly say that she _couldn't_ go out at all. "The law's all about interpretation, right?"

"You got it." Cana pulled on her coat. Mira tugged one out of the girl's closet without asking—a turquoise one with toggle buttons that was a little too thin for the weather; Lily Fields had been weeks ago, but she'd still yet to replace her own.

* * *

Silas Grant lived in a repurposed apartment—one that used to be the Magnolia's library before the new one was built. It was a huge and cavernous building, an impression that began on the outside and extended to within with its vaulted ceilings and plunging floors all interconnected with curling stairways.

Though snow covered now, Mira knew, as she approached the front door, that the gardens that flanked the cracked concrete steps leading to the entrance were just a touch unkempt. Come May, the most popular flower in their soils would be dandelions. Not that the cheery yellow faces weren't welcomed in the spring after the snowmelt.

That wasn't the end of the building's woes. The brick it was made from was porous and failing, making for breezy days inside as well as out in October and likely early in the winter as well, and the floors inside were scratched through their thick wax coating. Subsequently, the front door had an auto-lock on it that never worked because the wooden doorframe had swollen so much in the weather, it never closed properly. The list went on. The only thing that seemed to be in good repair were the door's hinges—they still worked silently as Mira opened it up and ushered Cana inside into a carpeted vestibule.

This was the only part of the building that was illuminated. Silas' landlord was cheap. He liked paying for building repairs about as much as he liked paying for the electricity for lights after eleven PM. He was under the impression that everyone should be in bed by then, and if they weren't, they were doing immoral things, things that good, god-fearing citizens shouldn't be doing. She supposed, in a way, he was doing his best to keep people out of trouble. Too bad trouble thrived in the dark.

"I can't see a thing," Cana whispered.

Mira offered her hand. "I know the way."

Cana's palms were soft, her grip much gentler than any man's. Mira did what she could to stop making comparisons. It was going to drive her crazy if she just kept thinking about it.

She pulled Cana out of the vestibule into the main building. There, the smells of the library overwhelmed her. It had been years since the building's transformation, yet things like paper pulp and ink and dust _lingered,_ scent a gateway to the past. She breathed it in deep. This building was one of her favorites in Magnolia. It had charm.

She took Cana right, moving carefully. "There's a stairway here."

"Did you come here often after dark?" Cana whispered as she found the first rise.

"I had to get out of Fairy Tail _sometimes,_ didn't I?" If she tried hard, Mira saw the other girl smile in the dark.

"I hope Lisanna and Elfman aren't shitheads like you when they get older."

Mira didn't want to think about her siblings, otherwise she'd get hung up on Lisanna's strange behaviour and Elfman's listlessness. There was only so much she could deal with in the night so she didn't answer.

The stairs evened out and everything became a bit brighter, light filtering in through a tunnel that was all windows. Mira looked up and lost herself as she usually did. This part of the building always looked to her like the ribcage of a very large animal, the bones the great oaken support beams. Sometimes, she'd give the beast shape, a name, most times she didn't. Names had power.

"This place is kind of spooky," Cana whispered, looking at the strange shapes against the walls.

"Those are models from when the library was still a thing," Mira said, stopping in front of a replica suit of armour. "The city pays the landlord to keep them here because they don't want to get rid of them, but there's no room at the new branch."

"Spooky," Cana said again, flicking the armour's chest. The sound echoed inside, hollow.

Mira didn't agree either way, though she did think that there was a certain spook factor. It was worse when the streetlights were out because of a storm, or when it was really foggy out, making everything in the hallway shadowed and ethereal.

She moved past the armour and a replica lance and flanged mace, coming out of the medieval section and into what she had come to think of as the ornithology section. A huge stuffed raven hung from the ceiling, and a barred owl beside it. Next to them was a replica ship, and beside that was a stuffed ragdoll with bright red hair and freckles. It was the size of a human and slumped on a tuffet. That thing freaked Mira out more than the armour.

She passed by the strange amalgamation of things, out of the windowed hallway into one with doors instead and was sad to leave it behind. There was something to be said for the taste fear left on the tongue.

There wasn't far to go now, Silas lived in apartment number five, which happened to be the second one in. She hesitated by the door.

"Are you nervous?" Cana asked.

"Kinda." She hadn't had to break up with anyone before, not really, or ask them for pictures back.

"Do you want me to stay out here or come in with you?"

Mira seriously considered Cana's question. Then she decided it would be easier to keep on a good face if Cana was with her. "You can come in, that's fine." If he was even there.

She looked at the wooden barrier and felt herself trying to hesitate. She lifted her hand quick and rapped out a brusque knock. There was silence. _Maybe he really isn't home. Or maybe he's asleep._ Shuffling inside dashed that thought. The door pulled back and Silas appeared, illuminated from behind by a standing lamp. He was dishevelled with his jeans slung low on his hips and his shirt open and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He needed to shave, too, he had a beard growing in where there was none before. His eyes had been dozy but as soon as he saw Mira, he perked right up.

"Mirajane. I've been trying to contact you for days."

"I've been busy." Mira kept her face blank, even when she noticed the blonde on Silas' couch, sprawled out with her hand over her head and a wool throw over her body. She'd only seen her picture and the girl in person once, but Mira recognized Lana Heart.

"Come in."

Silas didn't seem too perturbed that Mira had caught him with another girl, which really threw her off base. "No, thanks. I just came by for the pictures you took."

His face blanked. "Pictures?"

"You know the ones," Cana interjected.

"The ones not commissioned by Sorcerer Weekly," Mira clarified when he still looked stumped.

"What's this about?"

"There is a girl sleeping on your couch, Silas, don't be stupid," Mira said lowly. She could feel her neck try to get hot. She pushed it down.

"Lana? Yeah, she's staying here a few days," he said glibly. "Her brother died in the fire at Lily Fields and she needed a friend—"

"That girl is naked." Cana wasn't the queen of tact. "Do all your friends sleep that way on your couch?"

Silas' mouth went flat. "Is this a friend of yours?"

"Just get the pictures, Silas." That way she didn't have to explain exactly who Cana was because she didn't know herself.

He ran his hand through his dark hair. "Can we talk about this, Mira? You know—"

"Now." It had been a while since she'd had a soul try to rise up and take advantage of her emotional stress, but she felt it now, that sick cloying power, the dominating will that wanted to take over. _Don't_. She pushed it back where it belonged. Not before Silas felt it, though.

"Did you really come here to threaten me?"

Mira decided that it was easier to let him think that than admit the truth. "Get the pictures. Now."

His blasé attitude fell away. "Alright." He left she and Cana by the door while he ventured further into his apartment and into his bedroom. Mira peeked down the hallway and watched him go into his closet. He searched through a box and pulled out a stack of pictures half an inch thick. When he returned he held them out but kept his hold on them. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because my pictures aren't the only ones in that box," Mira returned.

"So what?" Silas said.

Mira's heart plunged. "You're an asshat." She yanked the stack from his hand.

"Come on, Mira. They're old pictures. Yours are the only ones I look at."

There was that soul again, trying to break free. "I bet if I looked through them, I'd find hers." She nodded to Lana who was slowly waking up. "I'm the She-Devil, I don't get stepped on by second-rate photographers. I have a reputation." She talked a big game. Her balloon was deflated some when she saw the honest hurt behind his eyes.

Her regret went up in a cloud of smoke when he said, "What about my reputation, Mirajane? Every time I turn around, I have people warning that even _working_ with you will curse me. Just imagine what they'd say if they knew I was sleeping with you? But I stuck it through."

That hurt. She didn't think he cared much about what tabloids and churches said about her. _Nothing changes._ She'd done a lot to make the She-Devil someone the public didn't want to stone but people still talked. They were still frightened of her. They still hated her, never mind that she'd eradicated her fair share of demons. She forced anger to take the place of tears. "Don't make it sound better than it was. You hid me in back corners and waited until everyone was gone to be anything other than cordial."

"Because we _work_ together."

"Well," she said superiorly, "I'm saving face for both of us."

He reached for her. "Mira, don't do this. Let's talk."

She backed out of his reach and left so she didn't feel like listening to his stories.

"Pleasure meeting you," Cana chirruped. Silas' door closed without his response. Cana caught up with Mira just inside the glass hallway. "That went well."

"Not really." Mira stuffed her incriminating pictures into her pocket, not knowing what she'd do with them. Maybe burn them so no one could ever see them again.

"Come on, Mira." Cana grabbed her hand and pulled her up short. "You don't really believe that shit he was saying, do you?"

"Which part?"

"Let's start small. That girl was _naked_ on his couch. He was doing nasty things to her."

"She had a blanket on her, how would you know?"

"You weren't looking well enough, she had side boob."

Mira frowned.

"I _saw him_ fucking around with other girls. Kissing them and shit in back alleys when he didn't think there was anyone around to look," Cana said. "And I'm not the only one. Gildarts said he saw him in the Kraken, too, right?"

There wasn't much denying that. "Yeah."

Cana pouted. "You still look unsure."

"No," Mira brushed her off. "You're right."

"Okay, look." Cana pulled out her deck of cards from her purse and fanned them out.

"You're going to use divination to see if my old boyfriend was cheating on me?"

Cana's mouth quirked at 'old.' She stepped in front of Mira and started walking backwards through the 'ribcage'. "Cards are never wrong."

"I think _that's_ bullshit."

"They wouldn't be wrong about this," Cana muttered. She spread out the deck in her hand. "Choose one—" She stopped short, bouncing into something solid. She let out an _'oof_ ' of surprise while her cards scattered, jarred from her hand. Mira caught her before she could fall.

"You ladies aren't supposed to be in this building, you don't live here," came a voice Mira knew all too well.

"Mr. Gregor. Sorry, we were just coming by to get something from Silas." If she squinted, Mira could see the outline of his body, and if she _really_ tried, the old man's jowled face and disapproving frown came out of the dark. His eyes were shadowed so she had to imagine his bushy brows coming down to obscure them, a feat she had no problem with, he was always scowling, especially when he saw her.

"Nice girls don't wander after dark, Mirajane Strauss."

"No, Sir," she said with a smile she was sure went unappreciated. Beside her, Cana picked up her cards, muttering.

Mr. Gregor clasped his hands in front of his bulging belly. "For a girl with a devil in her, I would think you'd want to do everything you could to make amends with our lord."

He reminded her so much of Miss Yunica in that moment, Mira was almost paralyzed. Then she shook childhood fear from her mind and said, "I've always thought it was better to do what I want and beg for forgiveness."

"There are some things our lord can't forgive," he muttered. "Lying with devils is one of them."

Now Mira didn't know if he was talking about her or Silas.

"He was a good boy."

Ah, that cleared it up.

Cana thankfully grabbed up the rest of her cards in that moment and stood. "You're an asshole."

Mira didn't wait to hear what Mr. Gregor had to say about that. "Excuse me." She pushed past him and broke for the stairs, taking them two at a time even though it got progressively harder to see. She could hear Cana clopping down behind her but she didn't slow. The outside couldn't come soon enough. As soon as she pushed open the door, wind bit into her cheeks and snuck down the collar of her borrowed coat.

The door burst open behind her. "Mira—wait," Cana begged.

She slowed.

"Wow, can you _believe_ that guy?" Cana fumed when she'd caught up.

Mira didn't respond. Cana filled up the silence for her, berating the man and then Silas, and then Lana, and anyone else she fancied all the way back to Fairy Tail. Mira let it all slide over her until Cana asked, "Are you coming back?"

"What?"

"To my room?"

Mira wavered.

"Come on, Mira. We were having fun tonight, weren't we?" Cana whittled.

Until they ventured out of Fairy Hills… yeah, maybe.

Cana read her correctly. "This way." She grabbed Mira's hand and pulled her over the winter-locked lawn toward the dorms. Mira went, feeling sort of like a mannequin as her feet slipped through the snow, gathering balls of the white stuff on her toes to fling with each step.

"I don't have any pajamas."

"You can borrow a shirt again," Cana said.

 _Right._ Mira glanced toward Fairy Tail. The building was far enough away that she couldn't make out exact details, but close enough that she could see that a small light illuminated her room. Silhouetted in the window had to be Lisanna's small frame. There was someone beside her, someone much larger. Mira imagined that it was Elfman staring out into the night with her. Her heart panged. She lifted her hand in a wave, wondering if Lisanna could see her or not. The moon _was_ bright, but was she looking for her more-absent-than-not sister?

Lisanna's hand came up in a wave. The knot in Mira's heart unravelled. She walked towards Cana's with more surety.

* * *

The shirt Cana gave her was purple this time, strappy with soft lace along the bust and the hem. It was long enough that it _almost_ covered her hips, hiding most of her tanga-style underwear. She still felt exposed, a state that didn't lessen with Cana's eyes lingering.

Just like the last time she was there, Cana peeled back her soft blankets. Mira crawled in and, thinking she was brave, laid on her side facing Cana when the girl joined her. The blankets came up, Cana settled in, grabbing her and pulling her close without fear.

"Have you ever done this before?" Mira heard herself ask.

Cana's eyes were dark liquored in the wan light. "Been with another girl?"

Mira nodded.

"A few times."

The admission actually made her feel better. She relaxed some. And further when Cana didn't do much of anything except swirl her fingers over Mira's back beneath the hem of her shirt. She closed her eyes and drifted.

"Hey," Cana whispered, calling her back.

Mira opened her eyes. Cana was so close, their noses touched. "Yeah?"

"About earlier… Not everyone thinks you're cursed," she said. "That guy, Silas' landlord, and Silas—they're just assholes."

Mira said, "I know people are afraid. It's nothing new."

"I know you're used to it. I just want you to know, not everyone feels that way."

It was still wholly strange when she kissed Cana, first just with lips, then with tongue, even more so when the girl ventured higher in her shirt, up to cup her breast.

* * *

Laxus didn't feel any pain until his eyes opened some time later, then it was almost all he could think of, radiating from his ribs and from his chest where his lacrima lay. He looked up at the ceiling. Raven Tail's infirmary was quickly becoming a familiar sight. The rafters were free of cobwebs, mostly because his father made Flare climb up there and clean them almost every month, though she was afraid of heights. To teach her discipline, his father said when Laxus bothered to ask why.

The smell of vanilla let him know that Cora was in the room well before she leaned over his chest and looked at him with cornflower coloured eyes. "You're awake."

He grunted in lieu of hello.

"Your dad asked me to take you to your room when you came to," she said.

He worked saliva into his mouth. "I don't need help." To prove it, he tried to sit up.

Cora grabbed his shoulder and held him in place. "Please."

He searched her eyes. "That was your magic that nullified mine during my fight, wasn't it?"

Cora's rose red lips pressed together. She didn't lie, though. "Yes."

He glowered at her. "Why would you do that?"

She shrugged, shamefaced.

It was hard to think when he was so angry. "Tell me."

"Master Ivan said you'd leave again if you defeated Kurohebi. I… I didn't want you to go."

He searched her face, looking to see if she was lying. He couldn't tell but thought maybe she was being genuine. "Fuck sakes, Cora. I had him." Or he would have, with some _time._

"I disagree," Ivan's voice came from the back of the room.

Laxus managed to push himself up on his elbow to find his father leaning against the back wall. Once again, his arms were crossed over his chest in a state of perpetual disapproval. "I was blocking that attack. If Cora didn't mess it up, I would have won. Call Councillor Crawford and Zan."

Ivan shook his head. "Zan's already come and gone because it was as I said, Laxus. Your lacrima needed repair again."

And that explained the gross pain in his chest. Laxus pushed down the thin sheet covering him. Sure enough, his old scar had been torn open again and resewn, making a neat line through his tattoo. It'd have to be touched up again, otherwise the scar tissue would ruin it. Below that, his skin was mottled spectacularly, blue and black and green and yellow that stretched from his sternum all the way around his middle to his back.

He kept his stream of curses silent.

Ivan said, "You wouldn't have beaten him, Laxus, even without Cora's intervention. You're not ready. We'll train more and talk about it again in a month."

"Dad—"

"Zan was kind enough to leave a healing tonic for your ribs. I suggest drinking it so you're not quite so useless next time you and Kurohebi fight."

 _Useless._ The word resonated in his mind. Coupled with the disappointment evident on his father's face, and Laxus wanted to scream. He hurt too much to bother. He settled for glowering at the ceiling until Ivan left.

"Laxus?" Cora's voice was mouse-quiet.

He rolled his eyes to the right to look at her. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were glossy. "I'm sorry."

He snorted air from his nose, angry but also thinking maybe his father was right and he should have been able to beat Kurohebi even with Cora's interference. "Where's that tonic?"

"Here." She reached behind his head to the small white table that abutted the pine wall and brought it around for him. It was a fluid that was as red as blood in a tube capped with a cork. It looked like poison. _And you're going to drink that?_ Yeah, and defeat Kurohebi because his dad was right, he _was_ struggling in the fight, he _was_ held back by his injuries, and he wasn't about to let it happen again.

Cora opened it for him. Laxus pushed himself up and took it all back in one gulp. The taste that lingered on his tongue was one of copper. He gagged and choked as the sludgy fluid settled into his stomach and was afraid he'd bring it all back up again. Sheer willpower kept it from being a reality.

Laxus waited to feel differently. Seconds passed. Minutes.

"It's not working."

"Zan said it would take time," Cora said.

Of course. He held in his frustration and began the long journey out of bed. Despite his assurances, curses and harsh words, Cora helped him rise and even guided him out of the infirmary, down the dreary and dimly lit hallways to his room.

It was exactly as he left it, the bed unmade, his pipe and a mostly empty bottle of whisky on the dresser, crushed out cigarette butts on the plate on the floor that he'd used as an ashtray, old clothes piled up on the chair beside the door. It was a fucking mess.

Cora didn't seem to mind. She brought him to the bed then went to his dresser and grabbed up his pipe. "You still have a stash?"

Laxus sighed. "In the top drawer."

Cora's small smile could be called nothing but victorious. She rooted through his sock pile and came out with the baggy full of crushed sweetgrass. She stuffed the pipe expertly then lit it with a blue lighter she pulled out from between her breasts. The first inhale she tried to pass to Laxus by pressing her mouth to his.

"Don't."

She pulled back and searched his eyes. Without a word, she came back again, stubborn. Not only did she press her mouth to his, she grabbed his hands and put them on her body, forcing him to grab her breasts. She felt good, familiar and warm. Her tongue prodded his lips. Laxus found himself opening to accept the smoke she exhaled. Almost immediately, his body started to numb, the sweetgrass doing what it was supposed to.

"I missed you," Cora murmured.

The next inhale, Laxus took himself while Cora undressed.

* * *

A tiny flash of light pulled Laxus from a daze. He blinked his eyes clear and found the source: a card on the floor that pulsed with magic. Confused, he untangled himself from Cora and stretched. His arms were just long enough to reach. By the light of the quarter moon, he studied the card and felt his mouth pull into a wide smile. He didn't think Mira had it in her. He was undeniably glad she did, though. He rolled away from Cora and put the card in his dresser for later study. It was then he realized that his ribs hurt a little less, too.


	18. Chapter 18

Laxus' package didn't come until two weeks later. It was late when the postman entered the guild hall, the sun was setting, turning the snowy world beyond the warmth of inside a strange pink-purple. Mira looked up from where she played a game of hangman with a disinterested Lisanna and waited patiently for the man to go through his sack, pull out letters and a package for one of the other guild members then disappear like he had every other day since Laxus first told Mira to expect something. Only this time, he pulled out a package and approached her table. She shoved off without saying anything to Lisanna and met the man halfway, ashamed that she was so eager but mostly uncaring.

"For Mirajane Strauss?" she asked when she was within hearing distance.

"Yes, Miss." The portly man held out the package and a clipboard. "Just sign."

Mira scribbled something like her signature and whirled away. "Thanks."

In her rush to get upstairs, she almost didn't notice that the table she and Lisanna had been sitting at was empty. She slowed up some and looked around the guild. The girl was nowhere to be seen. Again. Mira held in an exasperated sigh and took the stairs two at a time. At the top, her bedroom door was closed. She wasn't all that surprised. She suspected when she opened it, Lisanna would be sitting in the window again with that necklace clutched in her hand and a distant look on her face. _Should I take it away?_ She didn't have a good, clear answer. She wanted Lisanna to be safe, and it was kind of nice that she had something of their mothers, wasn't it?

Mira placed her palm on the doorknob, on the cusp of entering, but paused when she heard Lisanna's bell-like voice pitched low.

"Master just started letting her take jobs again."

Mira pinched her lips together, sure that Lisanna was talking about her, but unsure of who she spoke to. Elfman was downstairs sitting at Gray's table studying some math problems Master Makarov had given him earlier that week, and Natsu was begging Penny for a slice of pie. Who else did she have?

"She's _always_ looking for demons, so probably. She's obsessed."

Mira had heard the word 'obsessed' right alongside her name for so many years, she wasn't all that surprised to hear it out of her sister's mouth, too. It still kind of hurt, though Lisanna had made it _clear_ how she felt about the whole thing. ' _Me and Elfman don't care. We both think you're wasting your time.'_

She'd been thinking about that for _days and days,_ wondering if it were true, if Lisanna had an enlightened insight that Mira just couldn't fathom, too close, too 'full of rage' as Gildarts had said.

"It's getting hard to get away, though. She's noticed and started asking questions."

Mira _still_ couldn't hear who she was talking to. Either they were ghostly quiet or she was having a conversation with herself. Lisanna was quiet for so long, Mira thought that it was over. She was just about to enter the room when Lisanna said,

"Mr. Zan, she looks for demons _everywhere_. It wouldn't matter if we left."

Silence.

" _Oh._ "

Mira didn't like the sound of that ' _Oh._ ' Finally having enough, she threw open the door. The lights were off in the room and it was _cold._ As she suspected, she found Lisanna by the window, leaning against the sill. She had the necklace in her hand and pressed up against her cheek. A shadow moved beside Lisanna, large and blacker than pitch. Mira blinked and it was gone. _A trick of the light?_ A taste lingered in her mouth: fear.

Lisanna whirled on her heel and faced Mira. "Mira—you scared me."

The feeling was mutual. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Lisanna licked chapped lips. "Um…"

"Who were you talking to?"

"No one."

Even without the aid of any real light to see the tells on her face, Mira knew her sister. She was a terrible liar. "Tell me right now."

Lisanna shook her head furiously. "It wasn't anyone."

The fear Mira tasted only became headier, iron on her tongue. "Give me the necklace."

"What?"

Mira came in and dropped her lacrima box on her bed, then approached Lisanna, hand out. "The necklace, give it to me, now." She didn't know why it seemed so important to have it, but she no longer wanted Lisanna anywhere near it.

"No." Lisanna put her back against the window frame. "You gave it to me."

"And now I'm taking it back," Mira said with authority.

"Its mine."

Mira swiped for it. Lisanna ducked below her grip and made a break for the door. She wasn't near fast enough. Mira wrapped her arm around the girl's waist and pulled her up short, a task that was shockingly easy. Lisanna was still so bird-thin.

Lisanna yelled and writhed. Mira held her tight, a feat that earned her both an elbow in the ribs and a heel in the shin, and fought to get the necklace from Lisanna's neck. Surprisingly, she felt teeth clamp down on the fat part of her palm hard enough that she loosened her hold. In the second Lisanna had, she tore free of Mira's clamped arm. In doing so, she did Mira's work for her. The necklace Mira still gripped strained, and then its delicate silver chain broke apart effortlessly. Lisanna was three steps in before she realized. She turned back around, saw the prize Mira held aloft, and let her expression go dark.

"Give it back."

"Not a hope in _hell_ ," Mira said. She ignored the burning pain in her palm and the blood leaking from Lisanna's bite.

"Now!" Lisanna demanded.

Mira shook her head. "Oh, no. I wouldn't even consider it for a second. Not until you tell me what's going on."

Lisanna's eyes welled with tears and her magic came, unbidden. It played over her skin, turning it furred and then pink again as she fought for control. Finally, she won the battle, staying human and releasing her energy by stomping her foot like a tantruming three-year-old instead. "I hate you."

Mira let that slide over her skin. It would dig in later, but that was _later._ For now, she said, "Good. Now sit down and talk to me."

Her face scrunched up; her cheeks soaked and turned red. "No." She turned and left, slamming the door so hard behind herself that the walls shook, knocking off a picture of Mira, Elfman and Lisanna from beside Mira's bed. It fell to the floor. The frame cracked. Mira left it where it was for now in favour of examining her high-cost prize. It was just as charred as it had been the first day she'd received it. The pearl-encrusted chain was dull, the opal in the center of the pendant scratched.

- _A friend_ the letter was signed. That was so long ago now, she almost didn't remember the details, the suspicion she'd felt when she'd received it. That suspicion that had fallen to the wayside because she was sure that it _was_ her mother's necklace. _Just because that's the case doesn't mean someone isn't trying to trick you._ Whoever got the necklace either took it off her mother's dead body or stole it from the charred jewellery box on her dresser. Either way, they went through great lengths to give it to her. And _why_?

 _To protect you?_

 _Or hurt you?_

She closed her eyes and prodded the stone for magic.

She couldn't feel _any_. Like, none at all.

 _Does it even still work to alert us of demons? Or was that a spell that's faded now with time?_

There were so many questions she didn't have the answer to. _Lisanna's right, you've been chasing your tail about this for_ years _and you're no closer._

Defeat tried to grab her. Mira clenched her fist around the necklace, entertaining throwing it out or destroying it. Sentiment stilled her hand. That didn't mean she wanted Lisanna to have it, though. Just because she couldn't _sense_ any magic didn't mean _anything._ There were plenty of things she didn't understand in this world.

She went to her dresser and pulled a roll of tape from the top drawer. She took that and the necklace into the washroom and took off the top of the toilet. There, she taped the necklace to the porcelain above the waterline and hoped that it would hold. She studied the jewellery for another moment, hoping against hope that she was overreacting. She'd hate to ruin something that had belonged to her family—really, it was the last connection she and her siblings had to their old lives, besides Mr. Bee, of course, the bear that lived perpetually at the bottom of Lisanna's bed.

She put the top back on. With the necklace blocked from her sights, it was a little easier to relax. She came out into the hallway and looked down upon the guild. She didn't see Lisanna at first. Worry almost made her sick. Then she saw the girl's cap of snowy hair. She was sitting with Natsu on the ground hidden behind the bar. She still cried. Natsu listened to her story intently. Mira almost went down there herself but then thought better of it. Giving Lisanna some time to cool down would probably be the best, otherwise the next time she told Mira she hated her, she might actually mean it.

* * *

Laxus was tugging his pants on when the lacrima at his bedside lit up. He did up the waistband, tugged his T-shirt down over his chest, then checked to make sure he was alone. Cora had left five minutes before on a mission to procure more sweetgrass. And Laxus was glad. Being with her was easy and sometimes fun. Familiar. She was filthy and raucous and knew just what he liked.

But he was bored.

And he kept thinking about someone else. Someone whose picture was in his drawer, a little used from study. Someone whose face was filling up the lacrima beside his bed. He threw himself down on the mattress and breathed out a gust of air. Then he answered Mira's call.

The connection made, the image of her face went from stationary to lively. "What's up, Strauss?"

Her mouth quirked into half of a smile. "Nothing much. I just got your lacrima today."

The post was slow, no surprise. Cana's means of communication was much more efficient. "I got that thing you sent a while ago."

Laxus didn't realize Mira was courting worry until it eased back for embarrassment and a little bit of brazenness. "Yeah?"

His mouth pulled into a toothy grin. "Yeah."

"I didn't think Cana would do it."

"I didn't think _you_ would."

Mira's cheeks got redder still. "Which part?"

"Both." He pried some more. "Did you have a nice night after that?"

"I think you're being nosy."

"Maybe."

Her brow quirked. "Jealous?"

"Maybe." And more than a little guilty, thinking faintly of Cora. Mira's confident and saucy smile all but obliterated that feeling. And then it got a mean edge to it; Laxus considered himself a fool for enjoying that malicious little streak in her. but enjoy it he did. "What would Cana think of this conversation, don't you think she'd get mad?"

Mira's mean smile didn't falter. "Cana and I are keeping things light."

"Yeah?"

Mira said, "She has this guy Bran she's sort of seeing in Magnolia, but they keep it pretty casual, too, because he goes away, sometimes for months." She shrugged. "She gets lonely."

Laxus filled in all the spots Mira left blank. Between his legs was hard.

Mira read his expression adeptly. She only got meaner. "You want to know what we do together?"

Yes, and no.

"What's wrong, Laxus, you're looking a little tortured."

No, that was the look of 'cock blocked,' actually, though he only had himself to blame. If he hadn't pushed her away that night, things might have been a lot different. _It was right._ Though, as his father said, he didn't know where the fuck he found the moral high ground. He mostly wished he hadn't. "Are you going to be so brave next week?"

Mira's smile fell away. "Next week?"

Feeling like he'd won, though he didn't know exactly _what,_ he picked up his train ticket from his dresser and waved it in front of the lacrima. "Already got my seat booked."

She harrumphed. "We'll see I guess, though really, you're the one I'm more worried about."

"This is what I get for being a decent guy?"

She laughed. Laxus didn't know whether to be insulted or not.

Footsteps outside sounded. His door opened and Cora stuck her head of dark hair inside. "Laxus, you want to go half on the sweetgrass? I only got enough for—" She trailed off, seeing the lacrima and Mira inside. "Oh. Sorry… I didn't know you were talking to someone."

"Here." Laxus dug through his pocket for some bills and handed them over without counting.

Cora crossed the room and took the money. She looked like she wanted to ask a question about Mira, her eyes kept drifting to that lacrima. Laxus kept on an impassive face. "I'll meet you out back in an hour."

She took the hint grudgingly. "Sure."

The door closed behind her. Mira's lips pursed. "Girlfriend?"

"Just a friend." That was probably the best way to describe Cora. Mira looked like she was going to pursue it. Laxus sidetracked her. "Look, I wanted to talk to you about something, Mira. About Lily Fields."

Mira went from intrigued to angry in the blink of an eye. "Yeah, Lily Fields. Did you know that Randen didn't actually call Master Makarov like he and your lying father said?"

Laxus faltered. "No?"

She shook her head. "He didn't know anything about it. It was Cana that told him where to find us."

 _Huh._ He checked around the room, ensuring that he was alone this time before saying, "I think it was the council that lied. My dad told me they were going to burn the town and everyone that came into contact with it, me, you and Elfman included."

Mira paused. "What?"

Laxus nodded. "The day after we left, the news said Lily Fields was burned to the ground by some crazy, but my dad said it was the council containing the magic barrier particles left behind by demon experimentation." She didn't need to know _what_ they were experimenting on. "All those people we saw? That's what happens when non-mages come into contact with those particles. It makes them insane."

"Laxus, that's crazy."

"I know," he agreed. "But it's true. You were right—there _were_ demons in Lily Fields."

Her face went through a myriad of expressions, getting stuck on fear and rage. "I wonder if it was Tani."

Laxus held back the answer to her question, thinking it'd be too much hassle to explain how he knew what he knew. "Just… keep your eye out."

"Yeah," she said absently.

"What is it?"

She sighed. "Lisanna's been kind of weird lately and Elfman still isn't himself. Gildarts doesn't think it's anything, but I think it's too much coincidence."

Laxus nodded. "Maybe. Or maybe it's nothing."

"Yeah."

Maybe.

* * *

The next week was one of the longest Mira had ever endured. She only had one job to distract her in that time: chasing out a ghoul from Magnolia's graveyard. It had killed and eaten a variety of people ranging from old men and women who came to lay flowers on the graves of their loved ones, to teens who dared to either drink in the graveyard away from prying eyes or take the shortcut through town. Something which Mira had done herself from time to time. It cut a solid ten minutes off the time it took her to get from the Kraken to Fairy Tail. Not that she visited the former very often anymore, too afraid to run into Silas. She hadn't had a modeling job since they split and she was seriously considering telling Sorcerer Weekly _no_ if they asked her to come in. Besides, after that fiasco about being on the front page, she was wondering if she even _wanted_ to do it anymore.

The rest of the time she spent testing choppy waters with Lisanna. The girl was still mad at her. That was fine, Mira was still mad, too. Lisanna wouldn't tell her what she was talking about or with _whom._ Tailing her for two days hadn't revealed anything, either.

When she'd given up on that, she spent a lot of time with Cana, scratching out the boundaries of their changed relationship. Cana wasn't demanding; she didn't want to hold Mira's hand always in public. She didn't want complete devotion. She wanted someone to sit next to sometimes. She wanted someone to lie in her bed when the sun went down. She wanted someone to kiss and drink with and touch.

She didn't want to put a name to it, so Mira didn't, either. It was a good distraction, anyway.

The day Laxus was supposed to arrive was warm for February. The sun was out, snow was slowly, slowly melting off the guild's metal roof. Sitting at one of the guild tables, Mira looked up from an article on transformation magic and looked outside to watch a clump of the wet stuff plop sadly to the ground.

It was because she was looking up that she noticed Gildarts discretely look around the guild before slipping into Master Makarov's office. The door closed.

Cana, who had been teasing Erza two tables over, looked up at the same time and said, "That looked secretive."

"Yeah," Mira agreed, thinking of the last time something like that happened. _Master said he wouldn't keep that stuff from you anymore_.

Cana read her well. "You want to know what they're saying?"

"Not bad enough to snoop," Mira muttered.

"Afraid of getting caught?" Cana teased.

She knew plenty well why Mira didn't want to bother, she'd _seen_ how angry Master Makarov was after Lily Fields. "If you're trying to goad me, you're going to have to do better than that," Mira replied. "I'm not an idiot."

"I wasn't suggesting that," Cana said with a smirk. "Don't worry, Mira, I'll listen for you." She grabbed two cards from her purse and whispered into one. It disappeared from her hand. She joined Mira at her table then lifted the other card to her ear, listening intently.

All of her reservations gone, Mira strained to hear as well but couldn't over the guild's din.

"What are they saying?" Mira asked.

Cana shushed her and listened harder. Mira bit back her annoyance and tried for patience. They sat in silence for minutes and minutes while Mira watched Cana's expression move through worry to interest and back again. Just when Mira thought she'd die from curiosity, Master Makarov's door opened and Gildarts came out. He wore a severe expression. _That's anxiety,_ Mira thought. And just what in the good hell made Gildarts anxious? Mira watched him sit at the bar before she said to Cana, "Well? What was it about?"

Cana put her card away. "Gildarts' been requested by the council for a voluntary mission."

"A voluntary mission?" Mira asked. Cana nodded. "Well, what is it?" Mira asked when she wasn't more forthright.

"Have you ever heard of the dragon Achnologia?" She said the name very, very quietly like she was afraid that the beast would be summoned.

"No," Mira said.

"Consider yourself lucky. He's a mean sonofabitch," said a new voice.

Mira's lungs compressed. She looked up and met Gildarts' eyes. He was quiet and sneaky when he wanted to be. He leaned on the booth, the smell of cigarettes and beer on his breath, perpetual five o'clock shadow looking just a little scruffier than usual.

Cana's brows came together. "Gods. Do you have to lurk?"

"I should be saying the same thing. It's rude to eavesdrop, Cana," Gildarts scolded and flicked her card back in her face. It fluttered to the seat beside her. The girl had the decency to flush.

"The council wants you to hunt down a dragon? Why?" Mira asked, forgoing any kind of apology.

"It's been causing trouble out west, tearing up towns, killing people," Gildarts said.

Cana said, "Sounds bad."

"Yeah," Gildarts agreed.

"Are you going to take it? The job I mean," Mira clarified.

He pressed his lips together, considering. "I don't know, kid."

"Why not?" She was fairly confident that Gildarts could defeat a dragon. He was the most powerful mage she knew.

"First off, it'll take me away for a long time," he said. "Years, probably."

 _Oh._

"And if I take it, it's not the kind of job I can drop to come home if I need to."

Mira read him clearly: he wouldn't be here if she needed help. "I'm not the same as I was before," she said, though she didn't really _want_ him to go. "I don't need babysitting."

"Tell that to the girl that ditched and wound up arrested by the council in Lily Fields a few weeks back," Gildarts said.

"I was careless," Mira admitted, properly ashamed. "That won't happen again."

Gildarts searched her eyes to decide if he believed her.

Trying to prove she _could_ be responsible, Mira said, "If you think you need to go, then I think you should, Gildarts."

"It sounds dangerous," Cana said. Mira thought she was just being contrary but she did actually look frightened.

"Undoubtedly." Gildarts sighed through his nose. "I think I'll keep my eye on it, kids, see if the situation escalates. My first duty's to the guild, right? Besides, the council's got their best guys on it."

"I never knew you to be a scaredy cat, Gildarts," Mira teased, though she was secretly glad that he didn't jump to take it; it'd be lonely without him.

He didn't crack a smile. "When your gut tells you something isn't right, Mira, better listen to it."

She was opening her mouth to ask what he meant when Macao grabbed his attention from the bar. "See you, girls."

Mira watched him until he sat and got a Honeydale from Penny. "What do you think he means?"

Cana muttered, "I think he means he's actually a lazy blow-hard and doesn't want to do real, hard work." She didn't sound convinced.

Mira changed the subject. "Laxus is coming home today."

"Don't you mean he's visiting? Lives at Raven Tail, doesn't he?" Suddenly, Cana wasn't in a very good mood.

Mira shrugged, determined not to be pulled down. "Whatever. Did you want to hangout with us tonight?"

The girl considered her offer then shook her head. "Bran's back in town for a couple days."

Mira felt a small tug of disappointment. It faded. "Sure."

* * *

Laxus suspected that getting out of Raven Tail was going to be tough, given that all week leading up to the day, his father kept suggesting jobs for him to take, and Cora had been spending more time than usual in his bed. It wasn't until he was packing his bags that afternoon that his father actually said something, though.

The door to his room opened without Laxus' permission; Ivan almost never announced himself, however, he demanded respect when Laxus bothered going to his room or his office. It was an old argument, one that Laxus figured wasn't even worth his time.

Ivan leaned his bulk against the doorframe and watched Laxus stuff clothes and cash and drugs and alcohol into his bag. "Cora said she wasn't going with you."

"That's because she's not," Laxus replied absently, trying to remember where he put his lighter.

"I thought you two were getting along well."

Laxus glanced up from his T-shirt drawer. "So what?"

Ivan shrugged. "I just thought you'd want your grandfather to meet her."

Laxus found the zippo beneath a skin mag and stuffed it in his pocket. He threw the magazine in his bag for good measure then zipped up the pocket and straightened. "You're always telling me girls are good for one thing, Dad. Had a sudden change of heart?"

Ivan's next question was enough of an answer for Laxus. "Can I expect Zan on my doorstep in another few weeks, wondering where you are because you've decided you're not coming home?"

Ivan didn't care if he and Cora were a thing—she was just a means to bring him back. Laxus' annoyance flared. "I told you I was going for a few days. _A few days._ I'll be back before Zan even knows I'm gone."

"Now that I doubt," Ivan said.

"Good for you," Laxus replied. He slung his overstuffed bag on his shoulder. "Just so we're clear, Cora's just a girl. Sometimes we fuck. Sometimes we fight. But we don't say I love you. If you're trying to find ways to make sure I come back, look a little harder than that."

Ivan said nothing as Laxus pushed by him. Laxus only relaxed when he was fifteen steps away and there was no fist to dodge. Maybe his old man was going soft? _Or maybe he just realizes that he needs you_. There was no denying the feeling of absolute power Laxus had in that moment.

* * *

The guild's door opened sometime after eight, bringing with it not only a gust of dark, snowy air, but Laxus Dreyar. Mira realized upon seeing him that she hadn't really expected him to show. Like, she'd _hoped,_ but his track record was more than a little tarnished.

He'd replaced the coat his grandfather had given him with a very similar one. It was still fur trimmed and long, though instead of down filled, it looked to be made out of some tougher material, the innards of it dark wool, if Mira had to guess. He looked like a pompous ass with his headphones pulled over his ears, the music blaring out of them loud enough that even so far away, she heard the growl of some deep voice. He looked like he'd lost his way to a rock concert all dressed in black as he was.

Caught staring, she tried for casual nonchalance; it was ruined when he offered her a rare smile. All Mira could think of was that goddamn picture she let Cana send and his less than shy acceptance of it.

He came to her table and dropped his stuff down in the seat across from her. "Hey, Strauss."

"Dreyar." Mira was pleased when her voice came out coolly.

"Where's your girlfriend tonight?" He didn't even _try_ to keep his voice down. Mira loathed him in that moment but rose to the challenge. He wouldn't embarrass her.

"She'll be back tomorrow."

His grin turned wicked. "I gotta go say hey to the old man. Shouldn't take too long."

"And then what?" Mira heard herself ask.

"Meet me on the balcony?"

That fucking balcony. Mira kept her smile dry and _not too eager._ "Yeah, sure, Laxus."

He dug into his pocket then and handed her a baggy of sweetgrass and some rolling papers and didn't try to hide it at all. She palmed it, hoping her siblings weren't watching. Yeah, they weren't, but Gildarts certainly was, a wry, _knowing_ smile on his mouth. _Maybe I like it better when Laxus comes back to Fairy Tail half dead,_ Mira thought. He wasn't so brazen and cocky then.

* * *

"I see you've fared better this time."

"Yeah." Laxus dug through his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash that Makarov just stared at. "For my coat," he explained.

"Right." Makarov still didn't take it.

"It's good money," Laxus said.

He steepled his fingers over his belly. "Keep it."

Laxus chewed his tongue and grudgingly put it back in his pocket.

"How long until Ivan drags you back to Raven Tail?"

"I go back in a few days," Laxus said.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to stay?"

Laxus shook his head before he could really consider the old man's words. "Tight schedule."

"Your father isn't the greatest mage, Laxus," Makarov said. "If you want a new teacher, there are plenty here that are better. Stronger, more compassionate, willing to work within your needs instead of bending you to theirs."

"This routine works for me," Laxus dodged.

"Does it?"

"That's what I just said."

Makarov had a _look,_ one he'd used when Laxus was just a kid to get him to spill a myriad of things he just didn't want to admit. Like when he was seven and stole a dollar off his grandfather's desk to buy candy. And then that look was used to get him to admit, when he wasn't much older, that he had indeed snuck downstairs when he should have been sleeping, all so he could listen to the adults tell raucous stories he didn't quite understand while they sat around the bar. It was _also_ the look he'd used to get Laxus to rat on his father when the man had risked the life of a teammate on a job. ( _That_ was a secret kept between them—Laxus was sure his father didn't know he was the reason he'd been banned from Fairy Tail's guild hall and he wasn't eager to let him in on that, either.) It was what Laxus had come to think of as Gramps' 'secret look'. The one he used to milk people of all the things they didn't want to tell. He used it with deadly proficiency.

"Your magic has evolved quite a bit over these last few years."

It was suddenly hot in the little room with his coat still on. Laxus cut the fidgeting down to a minimum. It was always his undoing. "That's what long days of hard training will do." Fuck, he sounded like his dad's parrot spewing back Raven Tail propaganda.

"Is it or is that what an imbedded lacrima will do?"

"Didn't know this was an inquisition," Laxus said when he could.

Makarov sat forward in his chair. "Is that a yes?"

Well it certainly wasn't a fucking 'no,' was it? Laxus did what he could to rectify his slip. "You're reaching. This is all me." He let lightning spark between his fingers.

Makarov's expression soured. "You've always been a terrible liar."

Laxus had to agree. _What's wrong with you?_ His only conclusions were either he was a fucking idiot or Gramps' _look_ had a certain kind of magic of its own. _Don't be stupid_. "Like I said, old man, I'll be here for a few days. If you wanted something to do, I haven't filled my training roster tomorrow morning."

"You'd want your grandfather to come out with you?"

"Dad said you trained him." Like Laxus suspected, his grandfather was thoroughly sidetracked, pleased with the roundabout praise. He only felt a little guilty for the manipulation after seeing the slightly eager look in his grandfather's eyes. The look faltered.

"Your ribs can't be healed yet."

"They're fine," Laxus said. A little tender when he bent wrong, but Zan's tonic had done the trick.

"How?"

Laxus did what he could to redeem himself after his last failure. "My dad knows a peddler that sells healing tonic—"

"A peddler? Not someone with a license?"

Laxus realized his mistake. "Dunno."

"Laxus—"

He bowled over him. "Mira's waiting for me. I'll meet you outside for seven?"

Makarov's mustache pushed out in express disapproval. "You two are trouble together."

"This time won't be like the last," Laxus said.

"I've heard that before," Makarov mumbled.

Laxus didn't know why he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He pinned Laxus in another one of his legendary looks. The no nonsense one that could make anyone wither. "That means, if you two end up jailed by the Magic Council again, I'm _not_ getting on a train to bail you out. You'll serve your sentences in _shame."_

Laxus wondered what he'd say if he knew the truth of their incarceration at Lily Fields. "Did they give you much trouble when you came to get Elfman and Mira?"

Makarov busied himself grabbing his pipe and stuffing it full of tobacco. "It pays to have friends on the council."

Maybe he knew more than Laxus gave him credit for.

"Just keep yourself and that girl out of trouble while you're here."

Right. Laxus pretended that he _wasn't_ about to go to the balcony and see just what kind of trouble he could scare out of Mirajane Strauss. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"It's good to see you again, Laxus," he said around his pipe.

"Yeah," Laxus said. That was as close as he could bring himself to saying the same, awkward all over again. He grabbed his stuff and left before he could make anymore of a feat out of something that was supposed to be easy.

He slipped through the guild hall, ignoring anyone that dared to call his name and mounted the stairs where, at the landing, he ran into Lisanna slithering—that was the only word he could assign to her covert movements—into her room. She looked at Laxus only quickly. He was opening his mouth to say hey to her, that's what _normal_ people did. She slammed the door between them before he could get a word in edgewise.

"Alright," Laxus muttered. He made a quick stop in his room before he ventured out to the balcony. It was exactly as he left it. Right down to his unmade bed. He dropped his clothes on top of the mattress and hurried on out, through the dark hall.

The sun had gone down but it was still warmer than it had been in days. Laxus breathed in the damp air, catching on its currents the smell of burning sweetgrass. He followed it out onto the darkened balcony to the corner where Mirajane had swiped snow off a segment of bannister. She had her butt up on it, a long coat keeping her short skirt from getting wet. She was up high enough that when he came to stand beside her, she was just a little taller than he. Moonlight shone off her hair almost as brightly as it did the snow. She took a haul off the cigarette she'd made and inhaled it.

Laxus came to stand beside her and leaned his arm back against the balcony. It was like stepping into a time warp; he could clearly remember doing this when they were young. It made him ache for those days, though things had been just as fucked up. "Hey."

Mira let out a long line of smoke. "You know, you're a bad influence, Laxus Dreyar?"

His face pulled into a stupid grin. "I've been told. But why now? You're not making out with girls and sending me the pictures, you're not running away to quarantined towns."

"I haven't smoked sweetgrass since I was fourteen _._ " She was already high, he could see her eyes were glossy and bright.

"That's a shame. Guess that means you don't remember how to pass me a toke."

"Sure I do."

"Show me."

He thought she'd laugh and refuse him. As before, she rose to the challenge. Mira was that kind of girl. Maybe he felt bad for _that_ manipulation, too. But not so much that when she inhaled and pressed her mouth to his that he didn't open for her.

He let her do it twice more before he cupped her cheek and held her there, turning their press of lips into a kiss that let him taste the drug on her tongue.


	19. Chapter 19

For Laxus, two days passed in a whirlwind of late nights out in the cold on the balcony and long days of grueling training. Grueling not because he tried very hard, no sense in making Gramps more suspicious than he already was after Laxus decided that he had a big mouth and an urge to spill a secret that would simultaneously hurt his father and bring his own selfish relief, but because he was up too early after being out too late. His mouth was perpetually bruised, from fists, from lips, and every time he licked his lips, he imagined he could taste Mira's lip gloss. It was cherry. And cheap. But he liked it.

And he was dazed. Thinking about leaning against the balcony, Mira at his side. Last night was particularly sharp in his memory, the wan balcony light sliding through Mira's silver-chain locks while Laxus fought with her coat's toggles. And won. She'd been softer than he'd imagined; Sorcerer Weekly touched up her photos, making her leaner and harder than she actually was. Laxus was grateful. It meant there was more of her to grab when he dared.

Thinking about the feel of her body beneath his hands and the taste of her tongue on his was heavenly and distracting; the only thing that sort of tethered Laxus to the real world on the sunny and cold morning of his final day at Fairy Tail, was the mingling of Mira's lip gloss with the blood Gramps had coaxed out of his lip with a well-timed punch that Laxus wasn't _quite_ quick enough to dodge.

"Pay attention."

Laxus barely ducked below the next swing, too, catching himself clumsily inches from the snowy ground.

Makarov grunted, frustrated. He made his fist large, having enough of the lackadaisical and half-hearted training session, and laid Laxus flat without any hope of recovery.

Laxus tasted cold and bitter snow instead of lip gloss well before he knew what was happening. "Hey—" he grunted. "What's your deal?"

"If you wanted to daydream instead of train, you should have said something, boy," Gramps said from above. "I had lots of things I could have spent my time on this morning." Beneath the annoyance was a hint of pleasure: the man was a bit of an asshole when the feeling took him, and he didn't regret it. It was a sentiment Laxus could sympathize with, prone to it himself, but not when he was the recipient of the behaviour.

Laxus grunted. His cheek was slowly going numb and there was very little air in his lungs. Magic would come to his fingers, though, and _did_. He was just about to spark the old man and prove he was serious when someone on the street called, "Good day, Mr. Dreyar!" Something _thumped_ into the driveway. Laxus turned his face in time to watch a newspaper roll to a halt and a boy in a horse-drawn cart roll down the street.

Makarov removed his hand, shrinking it to its normal size, and brushed the ice crystals from his mustache. He started walking away.

Laxus pushed himself up. "Where are you going?"

"To do something more productive," Makarov muttered. He grabbed up the paper and straightened it out. His face fell.

Laxus shook the snow from his coat and clawed it out of the back of his neck. "We're not done, not until one of us is on the ground. I'm still good." He sounded so much like his father in that second, it gave Laxus serious pause. _You're not your father_.

"We're through," Makarov said in a troubled way.

Laxus composed himself, pushing out the ghost of his father. "What is it?"

"Silas Grant was murdered."

"Who?"

"Mirajane's photographer."

* * *

Mira was rolling a healthy coating of black nail polish over her nails when Laxus and Master Makarov came in. One look at their dour faces and her stomach roiled. It didn't stop when she saw they were heading for her table. _Whatever it is they're going to say…_

She didn't want to hear it.

"In my office, Mira," Makarov said.

She was rising when the door opened again and two men in Magnolia Police uniforms entered. The first was short and solid with a grey chinstrap and salt and pepper hair, the other was tall and bearded and wide. There were guns and clubs at their hip, a utility belt around their waist. The bearded one stepped out front, his eyes and his mouth were the no-nonsense kind, sharp and perceptive. He found his target in short order. "Mr. Dreyar."

Makarov drew himself up and faced the man properly. "Yes, Officers? To what do I owe the honour?"

He wasn't the kind of man that was interested in pleasantries. "I'm Detective Greg Mog, this is Detective Emir Hensen. I'd like to speak to Mirajane Strauss, and then one Cana Alberona, if you will."

Mira's first assumption was the worst: something had happened to her siblings. She searched the area and found Elfman but, as usual lately, she couldn't find Lisanna. _Gods._ Panic made black spots appear in front of her eyes. She clenched her hands to keep them from shaking and smeared black nail polish all over her palm. "What's happened?"

"You're Mirajane, I take it?" Mog asked.

"Yes, now tell me what's going on," Mira said.

"Is there a private room where we can speak?" the man asked.

"In my office," Makarov said. How he was so damn _calm_ Mira would never know. She didn't think she _could_ make it into his office, she was quivering so bad. _Stop. Just stop. You don't even know why he's here._

Her gut told her it was something bad, though.

"Find Cana, please, Laxus," Makarov said. then grabbed Mira's bicep. "Come on, Mirajane."

The tall bearded cop followed while the other stayed behind, hands clutched in front of his bellybutton, back against the guild wall. He looked like a sentry, searching for a hair out of place.

All eyes were on them, the guild so, so silent. Mira kept facing forward, again feeling like she was walking to the gallows. At this rate, she never wanted to step foot in Master Makarov's office again, every time she did, it was because there was trouble. There wasn't anything for it, though. Her feet moved and her legs didn't deposit her on the ground. Bully for her.

Inside the room that smelled perpetually like pipe smoke, Makarov dropped Mirajane onto the leather couch against the far wall and closed the door behind Detective Mog. Next, he went to his desk and pulled out his pipe, just to have something in his hand to fiddle with, Mira imagined, because he didn't stuff it. His hair was a silver halo around his head, the sun's rays streaming through the window and making it look translucent. "Now, what's this all about?"

"I would prefer to speak to Mirajane alone," Mog said.

"Mirajane is still a minor," Makarov said. "She has no parents and has come into my care, so you may think of me as her guardian. Now, again, what is this about?"

Mog looked like he'd swallowed a sour grape. Mira wondered if he'd refuse. Eventually, he pulled a pen and leather notebook from his breast pocket and explained, "It's about Silas Grant."

"Silas?" Mira repeated after she'd swallowed a bubble of nervous and gleeful laughter—Lisanna was safe, Elfman was safe, so what did anything else matter? "What about him?"

"He was killed," the man replied. "His body was found early this morning by a Miss Lana Heart."

Mira snagged on one word. "Killed?"

"Yes."

Gone. Silas was dead. "Is this a joke?"

"I'm not laughing," the man replied. "Where were you last night, Mirajane, around one AM?"

"She was here, of course," Makarov spoke up.

"I'm asking Mirajane, Mr. Dreyar, not you," Mog said.

Mira collected herself and conveyed, "I was here." Her voice was still quieter than she'd planned. Mog scribbled something down on his paper.

"Why are you asking her this?" Makarov asked. "Are you suggesting she's a suspect?"

Mog ignored him. "Here doing what specifically?"

"I was out on the balcony with Laxus," Mira replied.

"Laxus? The guy outside looking for Miss Alberona?"

"Yes. Laxus Dreyar." Mira looked to Master Makarov. "Master's grandson."

Mog scribbled on his pad. "Can you tell me what the nature of your relationship was with Silas Grant?"

Mira licked her dry lips. "Um… He was my boyfriend, I guess."

"You guess?"

She licked her lips again. "Yeah. I don't know. He didn't want to be seen with me. We worked together. And he was older and—"

"You're upsetting her," Makarov said.

"I need my questions answered, Mr. Dreyar, and I don't have much time to ease into the subject. The first few hours of a murder investigation are the most crucial," Mog replied. He looked at Mira once more. "And what is the nature of your relationship with Laxus Dreyar?"

"He's my… friend."

"Your friend like Silas was your friend?" Mog asked, one bushy brow rising.

"I don't see how that's relevant," Makarov said.

Mira only pressed her lips together. Mog got his answer in her silence. More scribbling. "I suppose this Laxus can corroborate your story?"

"Yes." Mira's mind was still jogging to catch up. "Who would kill Silas?" He was an ass sometimes, _sure_ , but to kill him?

Mog ignored that question, too. "When was the last time you had contact with Silas Grant?"

Mira pressed her fingers into her temples to help her concentrate through Mog's rapid-fire questions. "Um… A week ago? Two? I went to his apartment."

There was quiet save for scribbling, then, "And what was the nature of your visit?"

"This is ridiculous. Let the poor girl get her bearings, can't you see she's in shock?" Makarov hit his desk none-too-gently as he said it, making Mira jump. Mog was an old veteran; nothing fazed him.

Half turning, the police officer said, "If you do not _shut up_ , Mr. Dreyar, I will be forced to bring Miss Strauss in to the station for questioning where she will be accompanied by a youth councillor that will know when to keep their mouth _shut_."

Makarov's mustache puffed out, making him look like an annoyed walrus.

Mog turned back to Mira. "Again, Miss Strauss, what was the nature of your visit?"

Mira cleared her throat. "I went there to break up with him." She almost left out the last part but couldn't foresee any good coming out of hiding information. "And—and to get my pictures back."

"Pictures?"

Mira's face flamed. "Silas was my photographer at Sorcerer Weekly, but—" _Must I?_ She couldn't bring herself to lie, though. "He took some that weren't… appropriate for the magazine. I wanted them back."

Mog leaned against the high-backed chair across from Makarov's desk. He didn't flinch or look like he was particularly surprised, which led Mira to believe that he'd already found evidence of such things in Silas' apartment. "Very well. So you two were romantically involved and you wanted to call it quits. What brought on the sudden change of heart?"

Mira clutched her elbows and looked at the floor, not wanting to see how Master Makarov received that last bit of news. "I don't know."

"Honesty is best in these circumstances, Miss Strauss."

"He was cheating on me, okay?" Mira said. "He was sleeping with a lot of the other girls he was photographing, too, and I didn't want to be humiliated if it came out. I have a reputation—I didn't want it ruined, so I broke it off before that could happen."

"Umhm. And how about that story, can someone verify that?"

"Cana. She was with me," Mira said.

"Cana Alberona. Yes. She's a friend of yours?"

"…Yes."

"What does that mean?" Mog said.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Makarov said finally. "They're friends. They belong to the same guild and have been friends for years."

Mog totally ignored the old man, focusing solely on Mira. "Are you involved?"

Mira glanced up to meet his eye. "Involved?"

"Romantically?"

She didn't think her face could get any hotter. It did, though. "Why would you ask that?"

"Just yes or no will suffice."

Mira shook her head, too humiliated. "We're friends."

"Are you sure you're being honest, Miss Strauss? This is very important to the investigation." His eyes bore into her skin, digging out his answers.

Mira did what she could not to squirm and said with as much pride as she could muster because if she was being dragged through the mud like this, to _hell_ with being ashamed, "Sometimes we're together. Romantically."

Mog scribbled something else down, too, then flicked his eyes up to look at her. "It seems, Miss Strauss, your love life has been very, very busy."

"What has that to do with anything?" Makarov asked gruffly when Mira could not. "These are senseless questions made to embarrass her."

"On the contrary." Mog explained, "Mr. Grant was strangled to death and had the word _Cheater_ carved into his chest. It was an impassioned crime. There was a person matching Miss Strauss's description seen leaving his apartment last night and a tarot card was found in the hallway. All signs point to either someone Mr. Grant was involved with romantically or a friend or a lover of one of his partners. We found the pictures he'd been taking, and Miss Strauss's on the top of the pile led us here. Imagine our surprise at the lucky break."

Mira was too horrified to think _Silas didn't give me back all of my pictures_. All she could think was, m _atching my description?_ There was only one person that looked even remotely similar in all of Magnolia. _Don't. Don't think it._ She wouldn't _say_ it either, and secretly hoped that Lisanna remained strangely absent from the guild for as long as the police were there. She'd been acting weird, _sure,_ but she wasn't a killer. Nor would Mira let anyone accuse her of being, either.

"This is ridiculous," Makarov muttered once again.

 _Say something._ Mira managed, "Cana dropped her tarot cards when we saw Silas last week. She ran into Mr. Gregor, Silas' landlord in the hallway and they went flying. She missed one picking them up. That's all. She's not a murderer."

He made a note and said, "My investigation will determine that. Those are all the questions I have for you for now, Miss Strauss. Don't go anywhere until all of this is settled up."

 _This is insane,_ Mira thought. First that garbage in Lily Fields and now _this?_ It seemed like the universe was determined to ruin her.

"I'll see Mr. Dreyar first, if you will."

Makarov sighed. "Very well."

* * *

The police questioned Cana, then Laxus, then Mira once more. She went over her whole story again, sitting in Master Makarov's stuffy pipe-smelling office. She said all of the right things, and apparently so had Cana and Laxus because by the end of it, Mog said, "It seems you have an alibi and truth on your side, but I want you to stay around Magnolia until we clear this up."

He left then without waiting for her agreement. Mira watched him leave and couldn't quite bring herself to look at a brooding Master Makarov. She stood when the silence stretched into awkwardness and tried to escape.

"I believe your innocence, Mirajane," Makarov said at her back.

"Thank you."

"But I am suspicious."

She turned. "Of me?"

He shook his head. "Of the circumstance. It seems too convenient. Be wary, and don't wander."

Always. She tried not to feel suffocated; the last time she'd felt like a rat in a cage, bad things happened. _Calm._ "I won't."

"Thank you."

Her hand was on the doorknob when Makarov asked, "Lisanna—was she in her bed last night?"

Mira almost said, _I didn't go to bed until three, so she could have been wandering around the streets causing havoc for all I know because I'm a shitty sister,_ but she clenched her fists and said to the door, "Of course she was. Don't ever suggest that she wasn't. Not to _anyone_."

Makarov took her threat in stride. "I only want to keep her safe."

Yes. Mira slipped out while she could before Master Makarov could blow air on the fire of her doubts. In the guild hall, Cana was sitting at a table with Laxus, their heads together in a way that would have given Mira pause if she wasn't so absorbed in bigger, badder things.

Laxus was the first to see her exit. He lifted his head not to smile or to wave, but to nod briskly. Mira threw herself down in the seat next to Cana and scrubbed her face. "Holy hell."

"I'd say. Sounds like Silas Grant scorned the wrong girl," Laxus said.

"Or girls," Cana replied. "Mog let on that there were two people seen last night, someone with hair like Mira's and someone else in a hood."

"He didn't say that to me," Mira said.

"I bet he only asked me because he wanted to see what kinds of sweaters I had," Cana replied. "He actually asked me to take him to Fairy Hills and show him my wardrobe."

"Did you?" Mira asked.

"Master told him I'd be completely cooperative," Cana sighed. "He went through everything before he decided that I had better fashion sense than to own something with a hood."

Mira kept her opinion to herself; she liked hoodies.

Cana said, "I got Bran to speak up for me last night, Mira, but the cops _actually_ think I could be crazy. It's so weird. I feel like I'm stepping into the twilight zone. The guy actually suggested that I hunted Silas down and carved _Cheater_ into his chest. Can you believe that?"

"I can't believe anyone would," Mira replied. From the corner of her eye, she saw Elfman was inching his way over to the table, alone. Lisanna wasn't at any of the tables either. As soon as he was in hearing distance, Mira asked, "Where's Lisanna?"

"She's upstairs," Elfman said. "Penny gave her a bead kit and she's making necklaces."

It was such an innocent thing, Mira felt immediately guilty for her earlier suspicion. Of course Lisanna wasn't wandering around to her old boyfriend's apartment and killing him. She was just a kid. And a tiny one at that—she wouldn't even be _able_ to kill Silas. She wasn't strong enough to strangle a man to death.

Laxus stood. "I'm going to bum a smoke off Gildarts. We'll catch up."

He was gone before Mira could so much as say 'bye.' Elfman took his spot and started grilling Mira on what was happening. She carefully chose what to tell him.

* * *

Gildarts was feeling kindly. Laxus took his gifted cigarette and brought it outside into the new dark. There was no moon, nor was there any stars, only a bed of snow-heavy cloud that was giving up its prize one overlarge flake at a time. It was _cold_ , but it wasn't windy, for that Laxus was grateful. He wanted to get out and clear his head, sure, but not badly enough to freeze his balls off.

As he lit his cigarette and inhaled, he turned over the moment in his mind where he very briefly hoped that Detective Mog was going to tell him that he needed to stay behind in Magnolia as well. And why? So he didn't have to go back to Trinity and thusly Raven Tail.

It was extreme. He knew that. And childish. He knew that, too.

 _It can't go on forever. One day that lacrima is either going to flourish or fail_. And either way he'd be free.

The snow started to fall harder, dampening the surrounding sounds enough that a small voice was able to reach his ears over the guild's din, everyone animated once more now that the police had left and neither he, Mira nor Cana were arrested for murder.

"You lied to me. You said he'd be okay and that it was only going to scare everyone."

"I didn't lie. My friend was just supposed to hurt him bad enough that she'd be shaken. She was supposed to take you and leave as soon as she realized Magnolia wasn't safe, my dear."

"That boy is _dead_." Sniffing.

"I know. And for that I'm deeply sorry. It went too far. I will make sure that the authorities know exactly who to punish."

"You'll tell the police?"

"He will. He will admit to the murder, and everything will be fine."

"What about me? I—I showed him where he lived."

"You won't be implicated."

It was startling to realize that Laxus knew both voices. Even more perturbing was that he thought he knew just what they were talking about, too. Craning his neck gave him a good view of Mira's window. Sure enough, there was Lisanna leaning out, dressed in a white billowing nightgown, her silver hair catching snowflakes. She was red cheeked and scared looking. Beside her was none other than Zan, that tall gangly figure unmistakable as he lounged so _casually_ in Mira's window talking to Lisanna like they were old chums. Laxus' blood ran cold. He did nothing just yet, though, wanting to hear the depth of Lisanna's involvement.

"Maybe I _should_ be," Lisanna bemoaned. She sounded truly miserable, forlorn and lost.

"Don't say that, Lisanna, you were doing what you thought was best for your family, and I was doing what I thought was best for _you,_ my friend. The only person that's in the wrong here is Wenden, and he will see punishment for this. Alright?"

Laxus felt revulsion _for_ Lisanna as the demon touched her face, swiping away a tear. "Chin up. We'll think of another way to get your sister to take you and your brother away from all this, right?"

"I don't want to do it anymore." Lisanna's voice was whisper-quiet.

"Pardon?"

"I don't want to anymore," Lisanna said louder. "People are getting hurt and Mira doesn't care and—"

"You told me just last week that you would do anything to get her to stop hunting for this Tani demon, that you were afraid for her _life._ And you should be, Lisanna. I know Mr. Tani personally. He is a bad, _bad_ demon. He isn't like me. He doesn't want to be friends with the Strausses like I do. It's been so long, he's forgotten about you, but Mirajane, she's getting closer every day she pursues this destructive path. Do you want Tani to remember?" He spoke with such conviction, even Laxus' heart was beating faster. "Do you want everything to burn again?"

"No," Lisanna said quietly.

"No," Zan agreed. "But, if you and Mirajane and brother Elfman leave… say, you just… _disappear_ and stay disappeared… Tani won't know where to find you or how. You want to keep her safe, right?"

"Of course," Lisanna said.

"Then you should accept my help," Zan concluded. "There isn't any other option, young Lisanna. I'll come to you tomorrow night. Keep that necklace close now."

"Yes." She didn't _sound_ certain.

"Goodbye, my friend."

Lisanna ducked back into the room without responding. Laxus kept his eye on Zan up there on the second storey, livid with the demon and feeling violent for an entirely new reason. Zan turned his jowled face down and locked eyes. Laxus' heart sped. The demon unfolded, standing on the tiny sill, and let gravity take him. He dropped to the ground, landing as delicate as a spider. Straightening, he said, "It is considered rude to eavesdrop."

Laxus got a bit of room between them. his fingers were cold around his cigarette. "You're manipulating Lisanna Strauss."

"I'm _helping_ Lisanna Strauss," Zan said.

"No," Laxus said. "That shit might fly with her, but I've had your number for a long, long time." _Dad's going to be pissed_ , he thought faintly when he realized just what he was going to do. And he didn't care. Let the old man be as miserable as he liked. "You're working for the skid that killed Mira's parents, aren't you? You're trying to lure them away from Fairy Tail?"

Zan considered him, strange eyes glowing in the errant light of the guild. He looked intrigued. "And if I said yes?"

It felt like all the air had been knocked from his lungs. Laxus didn't gasp like a fish out of water. He asked, "Does my dad know about this?"

"What does your heart tell you?"

Laxus couldn't answer because he _didn't know_. The realization left him feeling like he was a balloon cut loose from a tether. ' _Demons lie,'_ he'd told Mira so long ago. _'Demons lie.'_ Lightning came to Laxus' hands. He found his tongue. "Demons lie."

"Yes, boy, demons lie," Zan agreed.

Laxus felt his magic power double without much coaxing.

Zan grinned, revealing his crooked teeth. "Am I finally going to see how my work has paid off? Will you use your lacrima on me?"

Laxus let his lightning do the talking for him.

Zan was quick, moving much like the spider he resembled, sliding out of range of the bolt of lightning before it could burn a hole through his skin and fry him to a crisp. Snow shot up where the magic hit, catapulting into the air and obscuring Laxus' vision for a moment. That wasn't a problem. He made his skin crawl with electricity so when Zan grabbed him—which the demon _did_ —he would get the shock of his life.

The creature had his feet taken out from beneath him. He hit the ground hard and rolled end over end before coming to a stop. Laxus grunted and balled his hands into fists and came on. He'd lost his cigarette somewhere; he didn't remember dropping it.

Zan got to his feet and swayed out of the range of Laxus' first lightning-bolstered punch. But not the second. It caught him in the sternum so hard, he gagged and buckled over. Taking advantage of Zan's _disadvantage,_ Laxus kicked him hard in the guts. The motion made his ribs twanged faintly but didn't give him much trouble aside from that. He came on again, pulling on all the magic he could. His chest burned _in the best way_. Lightning fell from the snowy sky, cracking into the ground with enough force the guild shook. It wouldn't be long before they attracted an audience. Laxus determined to kill the demon before then. _To hide what you've done? What your father has done?_ Making a deal with a devil, covering their tracks.

 _Just kill him._

Zan gasped from his spot on the ground, blinking up at the snowy sky. When Laxus went to him, he kicked snow at the man from the tip of his boot; it was an accident he wasn't sorry for, any discomfort the creature felt before he breathed his last was best.

"You're responsible for killing hundreds of people."

Zan's laugh was guttural. "If only you knew, boy."

Laxus almost faltered. Then he found indignation. "It ends now." He bent and grabbed Zan by the throat, determined to feel the demon's life leave his body.

* * *

"What is that?"

At the sound of Cana's panicked voice, Mira looked up from where she studied her ruined nails, looking first to the girl at her side, and then following her gaze to Elfman. He was pallid, but that wasn't all, his skin was shot through with dark lines.

Her heart clenched. "What the fuck?"

Elfman shivered in his seat. "I don't feel good, Mira." His face was shot through with those familiar black veins, wriggling beneath his skin like worms.

 _It looks like…_

Like the people in Lily Fields.

Mira didn't remember standing. She didn't remember going to Elfman, either. His skin was cold in her hands. "Gildarts!" Why him and not someone else? She couldn't _think._ He was always the one that was there.

"Gildarts!"

Elfman shivered again and then coughed. Something dark and sludgy came up from his lungs and dribbled over his lip. It stunk and was slippery, some of it getting on Mira's skin. Where it touched her it burned.

"Help!" _Gods._

* * *

"I have a secret, little Dreyar."

Laxus tightened his hold on Zan's throat; it was a wonder he could speak at all. Yet, he kept going. "If you kill me… the travesty that befell the residents of Lily Fields will come to young Elfman Strauss as well."

"What?"

Zan smiled grotesquely; his claw-like hands dug into Laxus' wrists beneath his coat, tearing up the skin, making it burn. "Yes. He will die horribly. In _rage_. He will kill his guild mates, little Lisanna… he'll even try to kill Mirajane, too, but Tani won't allow for it. He wants the _wretch_ for himself. He wants to tear her apart—"

"Lily Fields was a contamination of magic barrier particles," Laxus denied. Who knew why he hesitated or spoke?

"You're wrong. It was a disease, one of my making. Elfman is infected, and he will die if you kill me—"

"If I kill you, the threat's gone." Laxus squeezed hard enough that Zan could no longer breathe; his throat popped beneath Laxus' hands, the windpipe collapsing. His strange eyes went wide, his lips sucked uselessly at the air. Laxus hauled on his magic, adding that to the attack and watched numbly as the demon's skin turned black, his eyes got wet and then burned dry, his lips cracked and his tongue curled. The smell. It was the worst Laxus had ever experienced.

He didn't throw up until he was sure Zan was gone, stumbling from the body to heave in the snow just inches away.

It was only when he'd finished and heard the yelling from in the guild that he wondered if he'd done the right thing or if he'd acted too rashly. Up above, Lisanna watched everything, leaning out her window and clutching her elbows. Eventually, she was braver than Laxus, going in and descending the stairs to see what had become of her brother.

* * *

There is a feeling of unadulterated satisfaction that comes with changing something fairly important in a story that you were too afraid to follow through with before when it went up. I'm still a chicken, because it was a _recent_ story (so very, very recent), but, alas, bravery is a fickle thing.

In other news, I suspect that this will be coming to a close soon. Halle-fucking-lujah. Nothing has happened the way I thought it would.


	20. Chapter 20

Acrid. Laxus' mouth was full of the flavour of bile. The smell of Zan's roasted body was still in his nose, too. Unpleasant was a good word for it. He'd electrocuted people before, and he was ashamed to admit he'd burned them, too, sometimes because his father pushed him to, sometimes because his mouth had a tendency to get him into trouble and it was the quickest way to settle a dispute. Sometimes just because he was a careless asshole.

But he'd never done anyone like that before.

That scent was going to linger. It was going to come back to him every time he reached for his magic and it was going to make him really question _should I?_

He allowed one final tremor to roll through him, gagged one final time. And then he lifted himself out of the bushes that had caught his pathetic stumble, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and listed toward the door, leaving Zan's smoking body where it was.

From Fairy Tail's innards, voices poured into the outside. Whatever was happening was still going on. Staring at the doors, Laxus wondered, _did you kill Elfman, too?_ His actions seemed careless now. Brash. _What were you thinking?_ He'd long thought Zan should die. His father had been too afraid to do it. _What now?_ What if this Tani demon knew that Laxus killed Zan? _What if he comes after Dad?_

Or, what if he thought that _Mira_ or _Lisanna_ was the one that killed Zan? Then what?

 _You might have just put a huge target on Mira's back._

Like there wasn't one before.

He tore open the guild door instead of playing slave to his circular thoughts. Voices poured out, too loud, too many. Fairy Tail's present members were in a clump, all centered around the table Mira had been sitting at. Laxus tried to look through the bodies, stretching as tall as he could, shifting this way and that. They were an impenetrable barrier.

A voice rose above the rest, booming sharply. " _Silence_!"

People quieted.

"And out of the way. Let me see to him."

The crowd parted, receding like the tide, and revealed Elfman and Mira and Gildarts behind her, looking well out of his depth. Mira was kneeling on the floor while Elfman was collapsed, gangly torso filling her lap and then some. She had him locked in her arms and was covered in some dark fluid that stunk. Her cheeks were wet, smearing the mascara she'd applied that morning.

Laxus' guts lurched and tried to come back on him again. Then Elfman shuddered and the relief Laxus felt was enough to make the nausea go away and his knees weak. Gravity almost took him to the ground. Seeing Lisanna lingering at the edge of the crowd kept him upright and alert. The girl looked over and met his eyes. She was as pale as parchment and shaking so badly her teeth chattered.

Gramps stepped into the middle of the group and bent at the waist, checking Elfman's forehead. "Are you alright?"

Laxus missed Elfman's reply—but he _did_ reply, his mouth moved, his eyes blinked, his hands swiped his wet mouth. His teeth were stained black and would be until he brushed them.

 _Fuck._

He wasn't dead, but that didn't mean he wasn't dying.

Laxus came more fully into the guild hall. "He needs to see a doctor."

Gramps turned an eye on Laxus. "Of course."

He didn't understand. "He was infected by a demon. A demon named Zan."

Very nearby, Lisanna looked like she was melting. Her face was as red as a tomato and her eyes were swimming in tears. She looked to Laxus, silently begging him not to say anything else. He would give her a chance to come clean herself, he decided.

"What?" Gramps stood straight and gave his full attention to Laxus.

Laxus fidgeted. Every eye in the guild was on him. to say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. He stretched the truth to save Lisanna the same fate. "I found it outside. It told me as much before I killed it. Said it got Elfman in Lily Fields. The body's outside now, under Mira's window."

Gramps swore impressively.

"I'll take care of it," Gildarts said and stood. He looked relieved to be doing something he was quite capable of doing. He brushed past Laxus in a swirl of alcohol and smoke. A gust of cold air _whooshed_ into the guild as the door closed in his wake.

Mira spoke in a choked voice. "A few minutes ago, Elfman was covered in black veins. They're going away now, though. And he's not coughing up that black stuff anymore. He's okay. He's fine."

Everyone knew that meant nothing. Everyone _also_ had the decency not to say a damned thing.

Gramps ordered, "Bring him into my office, Mira. Then you need to shower all of that off you. Don't touch anything else. We'll keep Elfman quarantined and…" he hesitated, obviously not wanting to panic her but needing to lay down the rules. "And stay in your room until Porlyusica arrives. Don't have contact with anyone else in the guild."

Laxus didn't think it could get any quieter. He was wrong. The intense _hush_ that befell Fairy Tail's members was staggering. It didn't take long for it to shatter and the muttering to begin. People backed up, scared of infection.

"I should be with Elfman," Mira argued.

"If he's sick and you're not, no, you shouldn't be," Gramps decreed. "No arguing now, Mirajane. Just do what I say. Come." He started away, sure that Mira would just follow.

He was right, she got to her feet, dragging Elfman's gangly form along with her, and stumbled to the Master's Office.

* * *

No one was supposed to go into Mira's room. Laxus, alone in his room, flopped on his bed and staring at his ceiling with his hair wet from his shower, mouth full of the taste of toothpaste and bile that clung in his sinuses, obeyed that order for a total of twenty minutes. Then he heard light feet padding down the hallway and knew Lisanna was disobeying. And he'd be damned if he was shown up by a twelve-year-old.

He caught her in the hallway before she could open the door. She looked up, short hair feathered around her face, blue eyes as wide as saucers, nose red.

"You're not supposed to be going in there," Laxus said just for something to say.

"You're not, either."

"No one said I was."

"Liar."

It sure didn't take Lisanna long to figure him out. "Were you listening to me and that demon long?"

"Long enough," Lisanna said.

He didn't have to try very hard to intimidate her. A step forward, a pointed glare. "For what?"

Lisanna buckled. "I know you and Zan were friends, too."

Well, fuck. "We weren't friends, Lisanna. We knew each other, very briefly," Laxus replied.

Lisanna didn't pry. She didn't call him out. She opened the door and held it for him. Laxus moved in around her without trying to further defend himself. There wasn't much she _could_ know from that conversation, but if she was more perceptive than he thought, maybe the cat would be out of the bag and he wouldn't have to pretend anymore, just like he wanted.

It'd been a long time since he'd been in Mira's room. There were three beds stuffed into the small space now, two against the far wall abutting either side of the window Lisanna had been hanging out of, and one near the door. That one had a white bra thrown on the red sheets. Beside the mattress, a pair of tall socks were dropped on the floor, the clothing Mira had been wearing when Elfman coughed up on her was stuffed in a bag and was dumped down by the socks. He had to assume this was where she slept.

The shower that had been running in the washroom turned off, the curtain peeled back. Moments passed, and then the door opened and Mira stepped out, barefooted and wet haired. She'd climbed into a black long-sleeved T-shirt with a rose wilting on the front. It was loose through the middle until it reached her hips, then it clung and fell to her thighs. Laxus checked her skin for any of the black veins that Elfman had been afflicted with and couldn't find any. The relief he felt was marginal.

Mira lifted her gaze, realizing she had guests. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"I don't care," Lisanna said.

Laxus shrugged.

Mira pursed her lips and shook her head. "Master is going to be pissed."

"If we get caught," Laxus agreed.

Mira leaned against her scratched dresser. "What are you doing here?"

Laxus looked to Lisanna, silently encouraging her to speak up. She looked like there was a boulder lodged in her throat. She dug through her pocket instead and pulled out a silver chain. Mira focused on it. Her expression immediately dropped into one of rage. "What the fuck is that?"

"Mom's necklace," Lisanna murmured.

"You took it after I hid it?" Mira came from her perch and snatched it away, dropping it amongst the mess on her dresser. It got lost in the hairspray and makeup and hairclips, in the earrings and chap stick and other clutter.

Lisanna looked to Laxus; it was clear she didn't want him there. He was sure he didn't want to leave, though, she had a look to her that he recognized—she didn't want to get in trouble. He didn't know her to be a liar, yet imagined she was quite capable of stretching the truth to her favour. _Just like you?_ Just like him.

"Lisanna," Mira said sharply, demanding an answer though the truth was clear as day.

"Yes," she responded. "I took it back."

Mira looked like she could throttle her. "Why would you do that?"

"She was being manipulated by a demon, Mira, don't be too rough on her," Laxus interjected when Lisanna started to cry in lieu of answering.

Mira went white. "What?"

Lisanna cried harder and dropped herself to the bed.

"What's going on?" Mira demanded.

Laxus leaned his back against the door. "I went out for a smoke before all this shit happened. While I was out there, I heard Lisanna talking to someone from her window. I looked up and there was a demon, filling her head full of shit."

" _What?"_

That seemed to be the incentive Lisanna needed to get the ball rolling. "He said he was my friend. He said he wanted to help keep us safe."

Mira recovered enough to say, "He was a _demon_ , Lisanna."

"Yeah, but not all demons are bad."

"Yes. They are," Mira said shortly.

"You're not."

Lisanna's words hit Mira like a physical blow. Her jaw clenched hard; she didn't bother correcting her sister.

Lisanna continued, "He's been my friend for _years_. I talk to him every day."

 _Every day._ Mira's fingers bit into the lip of her dresser. "How?"

"Through Mom's necklace," Lisanna said. "That's how it started—he'd talk to me at night when you were asleep. I thought I was imagining it, then I thought it was Daddy. He told me no, but they were friends."

"And you believed him?"

Lisanna shrugged. "He was nice."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mira asked.

Lisanna said, "He told me not to because you'd get scared and take the necklace away."

Mira pressed her fingers into her temples; whether she was on the verge of crying or screaming, Laxus didn't know. "I can't believe this."

But it got better.

"Mira…"

She met Lisanna's eyes.

"I took one of Mr. Zan's friends to your boyfriend's house."

Laxus watched the train wreck, unable to look away, darkly fascinated as Mira went through the motions: listening, hearing, _realizing_ what Lisanna was saying. Horror.

"You took someone to see Silas?"

Lisanna only looked at the furious and scared creature Mira was becoming.

"No. No, you didn't, Lisanna."

Lisanna came unglued again. "Yes. I did. I did because Mr. Zan said you were going to get Tani's attention again. He said Tani forgot about us, but you were getting close again and that if we scared someone close to you, you'd realize that you were putting us in danger and you'd take me and Elfman away. He said you'd stop hunting and obsessing to keep us safe."

Mira started to cry. "Silas is _dead,_ Lisanna."

"I didn't want for him to die. Mr. Zan said he'd only get scared. He said—" The rest of her words were lost in a torrent of tears.

" _Gods."_

"I killed the demon, Mira," Laxus said over Lisanna's wails. "Zan, anyway. The other one… I don't know where it is or even what it looked like."

He expected her to be grateful; she just looked at him. Maybe that was shock. Distraction, he decided a beat later when she started with a list of commands. "No one can know you took someone to see Silas, Lisanna."

"But—"

Mira shook her head furiously. _"No one._ They'll try to take you away from me."

"Mira, she's a kid, no one's going to blame her—"

"Shut the fuck up, Laxus. About all of this. You just overheard a demon trying to trick Lisanna, you killed it after learning it infected Elfman with some fucking disease, and that's _all_."

She spoke with such conviction; how could he deny her? Besides, he had his own secret he wanted to keep. "Sure."

Mira's hands were shaking. She wrapped them around her body, holding herself together. "I can't believe you, Lisanna."

Lisanna's lament made way for anger. "I can't believe _you,_ Mira! This is all—"

"Don't even _think_ about finishing that sentence!" Mira threatened. "This is _not_ my fault. This is Dad's fault, it's your fault, it's _not mine_. I told you to listen to me. I took that necklace away. I told you demons wanted to _hurt us_. And what the hell do you do? You make friends with one of them. What were you _thinking?_ "

She didn't mean the words she said. Laxus knew it just looking at her. People said stupid things when they were mad and when they were scared and Mira was both. Lisanna, though… all she did was cry. And cry and cry.

Laxus heard himself say, "He was crafty, Mira. Don't blame her."

Mira looked up. There was no doubt in Laxus' mind that she was about to rail into him. She didn't get the chance, the door opened, pushing into Laxus' back and forcing him out of the way, and none other than Porlyusica came in, all business, all wrath. She looked around, expression turning furious enough to put Mira to shame. Mira clamped her mouth shut and withered without much coaxing.

Porlyusica shook her head and came further into the room, allowing for Gramps to come in as well. "I should have known," the old man muttered as soon as he laid eyes on Laxus. "You couldn't stay out of trouble if your life depended upon it."

Nope, clearly.

"Elfman?" Mira asked.

"If he was infected with something, it's fled his system," Porlyusica said. "He's resting, though. He's exhausted, which means limited visitors."

 _Thank the Gods._ Laxus' legs could give out if he let them. He locked his knees. "I gotta catch the last train back to Trinity."

"Like hell you do," Porlyusica said. "You need to be examined for possible contamination."

 _Contamination._ She made it sound like a toxic spill. Maybe it was; Zan was poison through and through.

"I'm not _contaminated_ ," Laxus replied. "I am late, though." Between that shit with the cops and now _this…_ His dad was going to be as mad as a badger.

"Sit down, Laxus," Gramps said. "It's a quick test. Please," he added because Laxus was gearing up for another round of arguments.

Laxus sighed and dropped himself onto Mira's bed beside Lisanna without asking for permission. Porlyusica put her medical bag of torture to the ground and rooted through for everything she'd need.

* * *

Porlyusica said quick, not painless, Laxus reflected, feeling like a fool with his arm burning to hell and a puncture wound the width of a pen. He was given a clean bill of health, though, for which he was—again—almost sad for. It was terrible, but if he was sick, he couldn't go back to Raven Tail. _Stop being a baby,_ he thought.

"You should stay the night," Gramps said as Porlyusica packed up her things.

"I told Dad I'd be home today," Laxus told him, adjusting the cotton bandage Porlyusica had given him.

"It's late."

"And it's only getting later." The last train would be leaving soon.

"Well…" The old man scavenged for another argument. He fell short. "Come see me before you leave. I want to talk to you about—" He waved vaguely at the room, a still steadily crying Lisanna, a miserable looking Mira.

Oh, hell no. What was there to say? He didn't want to think anymore about how Zan's skin cracked and curled, how the smell clung to him even still, after he showered and changed. Laxus lied, knowing that it'd be easier. "I'll pop by."

Gramps nodded once; it was hard to tell if he knew Laxus was a liar.

Lisanna asked, "Can I see Elfman?"

Gramps looked to Porlyusica for her approval. She nodded and, for the first time ever, softened, holding out her hand. "Come, child."

Lisanna took it and allowed the woman to guide her out. Gramps joined her, leaving the door open behind him. Then it was just Laxus and Mira. Mira still clutched the dresser at her back and stared blankly at the floor. She was wrung out, that much was clear. Laxus stretched out his leg and nudged the door closed. Mira looked up when she heard it _snick._

"Lisanna knows you didn't mean that stuff," Laxus said in the silence.

Mira's mouth twitched, not like she was going to smile, but like she was going to cry. "I was pretty horrible. And she was pretty upset. And—and I still want to be. Terrible. I still want to be terrible. I'm so mad."

Laxus knew what she meant. "It'll pass. Say sorry, she'll believe you."

Mira swiped her cheek. She'd cried in front of him plenty of times before. It was always one of the most miserable things he'd seen. He didn't know if he should go to her or not, or if she _expected_ him to. "I do have to get that train."

She shot him a furtive look. "Yeah."

"Before I do… Zan called that other demon Wenden. I haven't heard of him, but he knows Lisanna now, and it sounds like he and Zan were in pretty tight, working for the demon that killed your parents. Tani. He might want revenge for what I did."

"So you should be careful," Mira said.

Laxus explained, "What I'm saying is, he might think it was _you_ that did for Zan. _You_ might be in trouble."

Mira licked her lips, giving them another colour other than dry dusty pink. "I could only be so lucky. I'm tired of their hiding. It's cowardly." A pained expression passed over her face. "Do you think I'm doing the wrong thing, hunting them?"

Laxus shook his head. "Zan lied to Lisanna. Tani hasn't forgotten about you, he's just been biding his time. Zan told me before he died that Tani wanted to make you suffer. He said Elfman would kill Lisanna and he'd try to kill you, but Tani wouldn't let him because he wanted to do it himself. That demon hasn't forgotten a thing, Mira."

She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. Laxus finally stood and went to her, coming close enough that they were skin-to-skin. She was cold. This felt more intimate than what they were doing before. Out on the balcony, they were just fucking around, but this… grabbing her wrist, taking her hand away, and pressing his fingers into her chin to tilt her face up so she was looking at him, this is what people did when they cared.

 _Do you?_

Yeah. Maybe.

He kissed her lightly on the mouth and tasted tears. "You stop fighting, they'll tear you apart."

* * *

The train didn't get into Trinity until the moon was high in the sky. Laxus ducked into the station only because he had to piss. It smelled just as horrid as always, full of sweat and overwhelming perfume and old ink from the tickets printed. This late, there were only two other people in the building, the man working the front desk, and a girl at the back sitting on one of the rusting, grey-painted metal seats. She was asleep with her head on her shoulder, her face tipped to the left side. Laxus almost ignored her, but thought he recognized her raven's wing hair.

He stalled, just standing there, looking at Cora undoubtedly waiting for him, and realized that maybe he'd been wrong all these years. Maybe it had been something a little more than what he thought.

He moved past her, going to the washroom first because really, he actually did have to pee. When he came out again, she was in the exact same position. He wondered how long she'd been there for. All day? Who knew?

"Hey." He reached down and grabbed her hand, startling her awake. Cora blinked and blinked, then focused on him with eyes the colour of thunderstorms. She'd lined them with dark kohl at some point in the day; the makeup had smudged some. It didn't make her less beautiful, just a little used looking.

"You came home," was the first words she said.

"You waited for me?"

She shrugged.

"For how long?"

"Master Ivan said your train was going to be back by noon."

She'd been there since lunch. Yeah, things weren't quite as simple as Laxus thought them to be. "Come on, Cora. Let's go back to Raven Tail. We gotta chat on the way."

She looked at him warily. _Knowingly._ Today was a shitty day, Laxus decided. All around. It was just a big, shitpot day.

* * *

Cora wasn't like other girls. She didn't cry. Though she was upset, Laxus had known her long enough to decide that much when he told her they shouldn't see each other anymore. She asked if it was the 'girl from the lacrima'. He told her Mira's name. Who knew if they were actually more? Or if he _wanted_ more? It didn't seem fair, though. Not to Cora. Not when she was waiting for more than half the day for him and she hadn't crossed his mind once.

As soon as they stepped on Raven Tail's grounds, she disappeared from his side, moving over the snowy lawn to the side of the building. It was late. Maybe she was going to smoke sweetgrass or lean against the wide oak out back or maybe she was going to the bar at the back of the building, in the business of trolling for strangers 'passing through' to keep her busy that night. She wouldn't have trouble finding someone to keep her bed warm. Laxus almost told her to come back, because _he'd_ always done that for her and it'd never been a problem before.

He held his tongue in place. There were other things he had to do tonight than console a girl he never used to imagine thought too much about him. Maybe he was an idiot. He felt that way now, strolling up the shovelled walk to Raven Tail's wide, oak door.

Inside was dark. It was rather late after all. He knocked his boots off shoddily, tromping snow over the red strip of carpet laid out over the concrete floor stenciled with ravens. He used to think 'Raven Tail' was solely just to spite Gramps, and maybe partially so, but he was starting to think his father also had an obsession. At least that was one thing he could think his father _honestly_ liked in this world.

Coming around the bend, it was with great disappointment that he noticed that there was light coming out from beneath his father's office door. _Don't be a coward._ He was brave enough to take a demon's life, shouldn't he be brave enough to tell his father?

He gathered himself up tall and dropped his bag beside the door before knocking.

"Enter." His father's voice was thick. Laxus pushed open the door and saw why. Sitting at his desk with a dull communication lacrima before him on top of a stack of papers, Ivan was into his collection, moving swiftly through a bottle of twelve-year-old single malt. Laxus noted dully that this was _not_ a point in his favour. Ivan was a bastard when he drank.

Upon recognizing him, Ivan's brows went up in surprise. "Laxus?"

"Hey, Dad."

"You came home."

"I told you I would." Laxus closed the door behind himself, though it felt like he was sealing his exit off. Tension moved from his father's shoulders, disappearing. It was strange to think that _he_ was the reason his father was most of the way through his favorite whisky, but there wasn't any other conclusion he could draw.

"You are a good son, Laxus."

That was twice in less than a month. Laxus didn't know what to say. Except blurting the truth, destroying his father's image of him once and for all. "I did something you're not going to like."

Ivan looked up from his tumbler and just stared until Laxus wanted to squirm.

 _Don't falter._ "I killed Zan."

Ivan held his gaze for another beat. Then he tossed back his whisky and filled another glass.

"Did you hear me?"

"I heard you," Ivan replied.

"He was at Fairy Tail."

"Looking for you?"

Relief came to Laxus. The question wasn't enough to clear his father of any knowledge of Zan's involvement with Tani and thusly with Mira. But it was enough for him. For now. "No. He's been working with the demon that wanted to kill Mira Strauss."

Ivan turned up only his eyes to look at Laxus, his face still pointed toward the desk. Laxus didn't need him to speak to read his intense disapproval; his dad wore it like a shroud. Everyone could see exactly how he felt, all of the time.

Tiredly, Ivan said, "You're a foolish boy, Laxus. A cunt is enough to keep you warm for a night, but it won't keep you alive."

Laxus didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, turning to leave his father's office, thankful that it wasn't with a sore jaw or more broken ribs. Or even with a slew of berating remarks rolling through his head.

"If the morning comes for us, be ready at seven AM," Ivan called at his back.

 _If the morning comes._ Laxus didn't _want_ to ask what that meant. "I'll be ready." It would be good to get back into a training routine.

* * *

Alone in her room in the dark, Mira didn't fight the demon whose abilities she'd stolen without knowing its name, allowing its powerful hand to take the place of her own. The change was over in seconds. She flexed her fingers, imagining what she was about to do, wondering if it would hurt, physically, emotionally, wondering if she'd feel better about it or worse. Wondering if she was doing the right thing as she picked up the silver chain and opal charm that her mother used to wear day-in and day-out.

 _Don't hesitate._

She thought of Lisanna and Elfman and it became easy. She squeezed and squeezed until the metal mangled and the pearls cracked and finally, the opal crushed to powder. She had to use magic to really complete the job, obliterating it so thoroughly, there wasn't a trace of it left.

She didn't get hurt, nothing backfired on her, she didn't feel any kind of magic push back. She only felt sad and foolish.

Afterward, she let her magic fade and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked ghostly in the moonlight, not Mirajane Strauss, She-Devil, but the girl that had crawled out of her little sister's window four years ago, naive and dumb. She felt bare in that moment, the ruse was up, she was on display and everyone could see how much she'd been pretending these last years. Stumbling, holding the reins without steering and hoping she'd end up somewhere good.

She turned away from the mirror before she could feel any sorrier for herself and went to her bed.

Sleep wasn't easy in coming. Mira had been lying on her side and staring at the far wall for a long, long time when she heard the bedroom door open. She was doused in a triangle of orange light. Lisanna stepped in. She knew it was Lisanna because of the way her feet fell, and then she knew because of her smell—she'd taken to swiping Mira's perfume lately, spraying it on when she didn't think Mira noticed. Mira didn't even _want_ to know why, though she supposed that the _last_ time she'd taken a lackadaisical approach to Lisanna's life, Lisanna ended up being indirectly responsible for the murder of her ex-boyfriend.

 _Don't think like that._

She thought Lisanna would go right to her bed. She was wrong. The door closed, throwing the room into shadows once more, then Lisanna moved around the foot of the bed, coming to the other side in front of Mira.

The girl whispered, "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." Mira didn't try to keep her voice down.

Lisanna grabbed Mira's sheets and pulled them down. As soon as Mira realized what she was doing, her heart swelled ten times and her lungs got small. She furiously blinked away tears as Lisanna kicked off her slippers and crawled between the covers, nuzzling up close enough that Mira was forced to put her arm around the girl. Lisanna's face went into her collarbone. In seconds, Mira was too hot, but she wouldn't move. Not an inch. She held Lisanna tightly, burying her nose in the girl's hair. She smelled like the mango shampoo she'd _insisted_ upon the last time they were out shopping.

"How was Elfman?"

"Sleepy." Lisanna's breath tickled Mira's skin. "Mira?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know."

"That boy is dead."

"Yes." It was a great price to pay to learn a lesson.

"I killed someone."

" _No,"_ Mira said firmly. "A _demon_ killed someone. Not you."

"I led him to your boyfriend's apartment."

Though she was afraid of the answer, morbid curiosity made Mira ask, "Did you watch?"

"What?"

"Did you watch Silas die?"

"No," Lisanna whispered. "Wenden made me stay out in the hallway. He gave me his ring to hold and told me that little girls shouldn't watch."

But she'd probably heard the whole thing. She must have been scared. _Horrified._ Mira's anger was palpable. She made it lie for compassion. "I'm sorry for what I said, Lisanna. I didn't mean it. It's not your fault." She couldn't bring herself to say it wasn't their dads, either. She still very much blamed him. Maybe she would until she died, who knew? _Rikan the Hunter. Rikan the Dead._

"I brought him into your boyfriend's—"

"Sh," Mira said decisively. "It's _not_ your fault."

"We should tell the police," Lisanna bemoaned.

"If we tell the police, you might get taken from me," Mira told her.

Lisanna hiccoughed. "Maybe I should be. Maybe—"

"Don't _ever_ talk like that." Mira put a lot of force into those words. "You belong here with me. I'll keep you safe."

"But don't they deserve to know? Wenden should be put in jail—"

Jails wouldn't keep demons. Mira said, "Silas' murder won't go unpunished. I will find the demon that killed him."

Lisanna's cry let her know she'd said the wrong words. "You can't, Mira—"

"They haven't forgotten about us, Lisanna. Not even close. They're either going to come for you and Elfman just to make me suffer, or I'm going to hunt for them. You can not like it all you like, but it won't change anything. I'll do anything to keep you safe."

"Zan said—"

Even now, Lisanna was trying to hold on to what the demon told her. Mira conveyed what Laxus said. "Demons lie."

* * *

Laxus was reaching for his door when the sound of footsteps filled the hallway. His first thought was that maybe Cora had come to try to change his mind. He didn't know what he'd tell her. Yes? No? He and Mira weren't exclusive and they hadn't talked about what she was going to do with this thing with Cana. On the other hand, anything more serious than a 'once and a while fuck' he wasn't down with.

He needn't worry, racking his brains with a way to let the girl down easy, the steps were much heavier than Cora's ever were. He squinted in the darkness, trying to get a look at the person. They came around the corner, proving themselves to be wide and tall. And dark skinned. It was a man, judging by the way his shoulders swayed. He got closer, and closer. It wasn't until he was just steps away that Laxus made a positive identification, and then it was only because of that ghastly ruby ring he wore.

Lieutenant Randen.

"I would think the Magic Council had more important things to do than haunt Raven Tail," Laxus greeted.

The man looked at him with something like disgust. He didn't say a word, moving on by in a swirl of agitation, making his way to the Master's office.

"Pleasant to see you, too," Laxus called sarcastically.

There was no reply. Laxus almost followed him, a little bit nosy, a little bit worried. In the end, he decided he didn't actually care all that much. Whatever Randen was there for, it wasn't _good,_ and maybe it was selfish ( _Dad really had your number there)_ , but Laxus didn't want anything else heavy to carry. Not tonight. Not if he could help it. He went into his room, closed the door, stripped and crawled between his messy sheets. Then he stared at the ceiling, waiting for the moment the muffled, elevated-voice conversation turned into a full-blown yelling match, telling himself when that happened, he'd intervene.

It never came to be. Eventually, everything turned quiet, save for Randen's footsteps coming back down the hall. They slowed outside Laxus' room. Laxus tensed, unsure _what_ the council's lieutenant might want from him.

The knock he was expecting never came. The footsteps started off again. It took a long time for Laxus to relax enough to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Despite Ivan's ominous warnings, seven AM came. Laxus met his dad in the training hall. Ivan's face, which had been healing nicely after his run-in with Zan, bore a long but shallow cut that started below his left eye and terminated at the corner of his lip. Laxus studied the man while he rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms, getting warmed up. "What happened?"

Ivan tugged fingerless leather gloves onto his hands. Laxus eyed them warily; his dad only donned those when he planned on having a good row and didn't want to split his hands open. Mechanically, Ivan said, "Too much to drink. Took a spill."

The man was a good liar. He was a liar all the same. Feeling brave without his father's fist marks in his skin for some time, he asked, "Why did Randen tune you up?"

Ivan didn't flinch. "Who?"

"I saw Lieutenant Randen in the hall last night, from the Magic Council. I heard you arguing. He did that to you. Why?"

Ivan looked up, all fury. Laxus blinked and Ivan was there, coming on strong, swinging mercilessly. Laxus was too busy dodging and blocking and failing to dig anymore.

By the end of it, he was lying on his back staring up at the raftered ceiling, his whole body aching, his face bleeding. He wasn't in as bad of shape as he had been that day his father dumped him outside the train station with a bag of clothes packed, but it was close. Anger gave him a little more energy when he thought he could lie there and die. He struggled to rise, grabbing magic, though when they fought like this, they both knew magic was forbidden.

"Zan may be dead, but his lackeys remain. If you want to start fighting back, now is the time. Crawford Seam has given us his blessing." Ivan swiped blood from beneath his nose. "But you hit the targets I give you, when I say."

Laxus let his magic fade. He looked at his old man, searching for deception or uncertainty. He could find none. "Yeah?"

Ivan reached down and grabbed Laxus' hand, yanking him up and steadying him when Laxus swayed drunkenly. "Perhaps you're ready. It's a dangerous game we play, son. No one can implicate us or the council, so when you go after them, make sure they're dead."

He thought about Zan's smoking corpse, the smell that clung to his nose. It haunted him. Not as much as inaction. "They will be."

* * *

It took four days for Elfman to be released from Porlyusica's care. In that time, Mira spent long hours there, loitering in Master Makarov's office, provoking him into the planning of a proper infirmary because he never could get a moment's peace.

When she wasn't with Elfman, she was with Lisanna, and when she wasn't with Lisanna, she was hunting. For what, exactly? Any leads she could find. Wenden was a fucking ghost, though. In that regard, he and Tani were cut from the same cloth. Careful. Methodical. There were a few stories that pique her interest: men and women burned to death in a town six days north. And then there was Ketnab, where she'd first come into Miss Yunica's care—it burned to the ground the day after Zan's death. Mira wasn't foolish enough to imagine it wasn't a warning.

Master wouldn't give her permission to leave to investigate, and honestly, the thought of leaving Fairy Tail so far behind was enough to make her hesitate. It could be a trap. It could be a trap to get her out and away from Fairy Tail so she was defenceless. Or, even worse, to get her away so Elfman and Lisanna were defenceless.

It ate at her, but she stayed where she was and worked a different angle: getting Lisanna to work with Reetus to draw a picture of the demon that killed Silas. Lisanna wasn't very cooperative. She claimed that it was too dark that night to properly see his face. Mira didn't know if she believed her or not.

In the very few moments she had to herself, she called Laxus. He was usually too busy or too tired to talk, popping on for a few quick minutes then hanging up again because he was going on a job or he was training or he was _exhausted_ from a day of practice. His face was a bruised mess again, his cheekbone swollen, one eye black, his lip split. When she asked why, he answered very shortly, "Training." Everything was training. She thought he was lying but didn't know how to ask for the truth.

Long weeks passed like that, with only the odd day presenting itself where he had enough time to sit down and have a conversation with her, and when he did, it wasn't to talk about the circles below his eyes or his cracked knuckles. Or about when he was coming back to Fairy Tail—he always found a way to avoid that. It was to flirt shamelessly. To tease. The conversations got bolder, to the point where she went to Laxus' room for privacy, closing the door and shutting out the lights, whispering. They never fell into silence, he dragged out of her plenty of things Mira thought she _should_ be embarrassed about but wasn't.

It was exciting, but not the same as having someone there with her, someone to actually touch her. By the end of those conversations, Mira was always frustrated. The kind of frustrated that had her wandering over to Fairy Hills. Cana invited her in, she always did.

* * *

The first three hits were nothing to talk about. They happened over the course of the spring and summer. To find them, Laxus travelled to cities he'd never heard of, two on the Alverez border, one in the far north. The demons he tracked down with a lot of direction from his father didn't seem very surprised to see him. Instead of entertaining why, he killed them and left their bodies where they lie, hoping that any demon associated with them would get the message and be afraid.

The fourth he found in a shooting gallery in the heart of a town called Graven, a little closer to home. That one, too was easy prey because _it_ had been using the stoners lying around as easy prey. It was the most twisted demon Laxus had ever had the displeasure of coming into contact with, covered in tacky blood as it was, flesh caught between its teeth, high as fuck. Useless, too, when he hit it with enough magic to stop its heart. He threw up afterwards once again, in a dusty needle-riddled corner, though this time it had less to do with the smell of cooking meat and more to do with the half-eaten bodies lying around.

Afterward, he'd found a cop on the street, tipped him off to the scene inside and slipped away while the cop was calling for backup.

Back in Raven Tail, his father told him, 'Good job.' Laxus asked for another. And another. And another. He got stronger. Killing became easy. They fought back. They never won, though sometimes, it was close.

The eighth demon in what was turning into a long line of targets, loitered in a swamp entering winter's grip not far from Trinity. Laxus' boots sunk into the late-November snow. His feet were cold. Steel toes and leather didn't make for warm winter gear. He didn't plan on being here long, though. Long enough to do as his father asked, and then he'd be returning to his motel, and then the guild in the morning.

According to his father, the demon he hunted was high-profile. He'd worked closely with Zan and then went into hiding when Zan was killed, like a coward.

Cold wind bit through his jacket, making him shiver. He picked his way carefully over the ground, on alert for thin ice.

The landscape was strange, full of ups and downs caused by grass tufts, but also by more unnatural things: pine boxes that had been squared together stuck out of the earth, some by millimetres, some by several feet, all had fallen into rot. Laxus glanced at the snow-laden shapes, imagining what he'd find inside if he looked. Nothing good. Swamps made bad soil for a cemetery. Winter's ice froze the earth, spring's thaw heaved coffins in the air. The city had moved all of the graves that were claimed, but this cemetery was _old_. All of the bodies that weren't immediately spoken for were left here because the process of moving them was expensive and Trinity didn't have the funds to do it all at once. It was a project that had started twenty years ago and had fallen into the wayside for other, more important things: roads, buildings, police. The cemetery was cordoned off to the public. No one came here anymore. Unless, of course, you were a kid trying to spook yourself. Or a demon looking to take advantage of fear.

Finding the thing wasn't so difficult: it had dug into the earth like a groundhog, churning up fresh soil when everything else was still snow-covered. Laxus sniffed and smelled it on the air: sulfur and rotting cheese. It was enough to make him gag. He breathed shallowly and approached with caution.

Wind moaned through stubby black spruces, bending the narrow trees into old men with crooked backs, and swept through leafless red maples, twisted and knobby, stressed growing in a place they _could_ survive in but weren't meant to. Cattails _rushed_ , frozen grass _crinkled_ , snow _crunched_. Laxus squeezed his hands into fists again and again, trying to work some blood into them. The leather gloves he wore had been warm an hour ago when he started on this crusade. Not any longer.

Snorting let him know that his quarry was home. Laxus stepping on a thin sheet of ice and going through up to his ankle let the _demon_ know that he had a visitor, because Laxus' responding _"fuck_ " was anything but quiet.

The ground _burst_ , throwing up bits of snow and mud and some other chemically smelling soggy _thing_ that Laxus didn't want to identify. It landed on his coat, on his cheek, and got all over his pants. He would have cussed more, but something a little more solid hit him and he was staggering back. The only thing he saw clearly in the half-moon light was a black blur, a shadow in the shadows. Pain flared in his face, in his ribs. His mouth filled with blood.

The next attack that came, Laxus didn't even try to avoid. It was the last of the flurry, though, because he made his body buzz with lightning that wouldn't be ignored. Hit with the charge, the creature fell to the ground, muscles jerking for a solid five seconds before it could stop. Then it panted, cheek pressed into the snow, fingers encased in brown scales curling in the ground.

Laxus watched it until it tried to rise again, then, fueled by fury and embellished with magic, he kicked the demon so hard in the ribs, it forced the thing onto its back, exposing its face. A long and narrow nose, a pointed chin, scaled like his hands. It didn't try to protect itself, it only asked, "Every time you kill one of us, do you feel stronger, Ivan's son?"

Laxus let lightning strike. The demon rolled, narrowly avoiding the blow by moving before Laxus formed the spell. Laxus gathered energy for another; the demon's flurry of laughter made him slow.

"Did you know he asks us to die? To lie down so you may become strong? To give in for a better cause?"

The demon avoided the next lightning burst, too.

"I say, I don't want to die."

"It's not a negotiation," Laxus said and attacked again.

That demon was quick, darting back on hands and the balls of his feet. "Dreyar's boy… killing me, you're not doing yourself any favours. You should be going home and trying that lacrima on a human heart." When he spoke, Laxus saw his red-stained teeth. He didn't think he'd done that much damage, but apparently. "Kill your father. For all the lies he tells. He would look good in one of these pine boxes."

"You haven't had to beg for much, have you?" Laxus let lightning come, resolved once again.

The demon dodged again. The ground exploded with the force of the spell. Panting from the effort, the creature said, "I'm only interested in fairness, young Dreyar. It's in that name that I tell you, he's playing you for a fool. He will betray you for that lacrima of yours, as Tani has betrayed us. I wouldn't be surprised if your father reached into your chest himself and tore it out."

Laxus thought, until then, that he would be merciful when the time came. Instead, he used his magic to hurt when he could have used it to kill. The demon still died quicker than Laxus thought it _should_. It didn't utter another word. Not to scream, not to defame.

Laxus continued on. It didn't take much to turn into a proficient killer.

It was kind of terrifying.

It was kind of liberating.

* * *

In mid-January, it was cold in his room in Raven Tail. Laxus had thrown on a wool sweater. It didn't help much; the dampness came through the stone that made up his outer wall.

In the lacrima, Mira looked comfortable lounging in his room in Fairy Tail as usual while they talked. She was on his bed with her head tipped back over the ledge, looking up at him from upside down. She wore a sweater that was tight enough that with her arms over her head, it turned into a belly top that almost revealed a little too much. On her hips was a pair of pants so tight that, while Laxus watched her close the door, he thought she wasn't wearing anything beneath them. Or, if she was, it was something _very_ small.

On a different day, he'd ask kindly and she'd remind him why he missed Fairy Tail. Today… he didn't think she'd bite. She was irritated.

"Have you been keeping up with this bullshit about this 'Vigilante'?"

"The demon hunter?" She'd expressed her displeasure before, not wanting anyone else to get the step on Tani.

"Obviously," Mira grumbled. "He's a fucking dick."

Laxus laughed. "Thought you'd be like, kindred spirits or something?"

Her gaze darkened. "Did I _mention_ he's doing it _without_ asking for a reward or anything? He's actually ruining me. I haven't seen a job posting in months. Not for demons. People think this asshole's just going to come around and clean up their problems for free."

Huh. He hadn't thought of that. Telling her the truth now seemed like he was signing his death warrant. Laxus asked, "Have you heard anything? About Tani I mean?"

If he thought Mira couldn't get _more_ irritated, he was wrong. Her fingers plucked mercilessly at his blankets. "You mean since Ketnab was burned? A whole lot of _nothing._ Lisanna says the town razing was probably coincidence."

"What do you think?"

She abandoned the blankets and laced her fingers through her bright hair. Her shirt snuck up more. "I think Tani's waiting for something." Her face screwed up. "Do you think he's behind these killings? Maybe he's trying to embarrass me." She laughed dispassionately, not like she really believed it, but like she _could._

"No," Laxus said with conviction.

"Yeah. Why would the scourge kill their own, right?" Finally, after so long, Mira asked, "Laxus, when are you coming back home?"

He took his eyes from her body and grinned. "Miss me?"

She only looked at him, making him uncomfortable. They never put name to this thing they were doing. He didn't know if she was seeing other guys and he didn't want to ask, either, just in case she was and he was sitting like a fucking nun watching the women go by.

"I'll try to get by this weekend. I don't think I have anything going on," he said to break the silence.

Mira's smile was quick and nervous. It faded before it really took root on her face. "Alright."

* * *

Raven Tail's master's office was cold, but did his father have the fireplace going? No, not Ivan Dreyar. He sat back in his chair in his long-sleeved, white button-up shirt and some fancy as fuck green waistcoat, fingering a smouldering cigar and looking at the newspaper looking as comfortable as you please.

" _Vigilante,"_ Ivan read upon seeing Laxus. "' _Bane of demon kind_.' The press is turning themselves inside out looking for you. I wonder how your friend feels about playing second-fiddle?"

"Mira?" Laxus asked dryly. "She doesn't care about that shit." Oh, if only she knew.

He only raised his brow. "I don't have any other locations for you for now."

"I'm not looking for names," Laxus said. It'd been quiet and he wasn't so sad for it. It felt _good_ hunting down demons, sure, he was getting to work out his lacrima in a way he never could in the training hall, he was as strong as he'd ever been. But it'd be nice, for once, to just do _nothing_. "I'm going to Fairy Tail for a few days."

Ivan's mouth flat-lined. "Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah. Last time I talked to Gramps, he asked when I was coming by." Which wasn't a _complete_ lie. Makarov Dreyar made it known that he'd been away for a lot longer than he'd previously stated the _last_ time he left, almost an entire year ago.

"You're making good progress, Laxus," Ivan said. "If you go away now, you may lose all of that."

"I'm going for the weekend," Laxus said. "Not eternity. My lacrima isn't going to fall apart in that time."

He opened his mouth to present another argument. Laxus bowled over him. "Three days. I'm leaving tonight and I'll be back Monday." He left the office before his father could think of some other way to try to make him stay.

* * *

With a cigarette in his hand, Laxus took to the outside, moving to the huge oak behind Raven Tail. Above, faint sunlight petered through a thin layer of cloud that dusted the world with very, very fine snowflakes. He dropped to the ground, relying on his coat to keep everything dry, and slouched against the tree, curly bark digging into his back. Despite the discomfort, he dug his lighter from his pocket and lit his cigarette, then he just smoked and watched the dead ryegrass sway in a nearly non-existent breeze. He closed his eyes and relished the peace, tired. When he started killing demons for his father, he thought his conviction would be unending. It was only after killing eleven creatures whose names he didn't know under an order from the council he hadn't seen, did he realize that it _could_ actually go on forever.

This was the most peace he'd gotten in months. Months and months.

And it was about to be shattered.

Kurohebi flew out of Raven Tail's back door, pushed violently, and fell to the wet ground. Cora came out next, a macabre prize in her hand. "You think this is funny? Or sweet? It's fucking _sick_ , you bastard. S-I-C-K. You need to get checked out if you think _anyone_ would ever want a gift like this."

Kurohebi rose. He said something to her that had Cora's hand flexing. Laxus watched the shit-show unfold and wasn't even all that surprised. Cora reeled back and let loose. Her palm clapped loudly against the man's face. It took some time for him to react. He touched his stinging cheek and then lunged, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and screaming in her face almost incomprehensibly. Cora yelped. Laxus swore. He was across the grounds in record time, tugging Kurohebi off Cora and throwing him back to the ground.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?"

The man only blinked up at him, confused by his sudden change of state.

Cora spoke from Laxus' back. "He's a fucking creep, that's what the matter is. He's been sending me these sick necklaces again." She shoved her hand out around Laxus' side for him to see. Sure enough, in her fingers was another one of Kurohebi's specials.

"I thought I made myself clear the _last_ time?" Laxus demanded.

Kurohebi finally spoke to defend himself. "She was yours last time. Now she is not."

"His?" Cora spat. "I'm my own fucking person—"

Laxus held up his hand. Cora trailed off. Looking at the man on the ground, Laxus calmly said, "Things will go very, very badly for you if you keep this up. That I promise."

"He kills demons now and thinks I'm afraid." Kurohebi stood. "The last time we fought, Laxus Dreyar, I won."

He wasn't bragging so much with Laxus' fist in his temple. Actually, he wasn't saying much of anything at all. The ground caught him. Cora threw his necklace back, the bones laughing dryly as they bounced off the man's chest and came to rest on the white, white snow. She spat and kicked him for good measure.

"Hey." Laxus grabbed her arm and tugged her back. "He's down."

"He should be dead," she said.

It felt weird talking to her again. They'd kept their distance for so long, looking away from each other whenever they met in the bar downstairs or in the hallways. All the same, Laxus asked, "Did he hurt you?" because it seemed like the decent thing to do.

"No." She rubbed her arms. "Just creeps me out. That's the third time this week."

Laxus looked at the man with the stitched up smile and scabby fingers tipped with nails filed to a point. "I'll deal with it."

* * *

Laxus was still far away, but a low bass voice drifted from his father's office. His footfalls fought to drown out the conversation. He just barely heard someone he didn't recognize ask, "What are you suggesting?"

"I think it's time to harvest it." Ivan's low voice travelled more easily through the door of his office.

"You surprise me, old friend. I thought you'd balk."

"Not me."

"I knew you were cold, but you have no regrets at all?"

"This day has been coming for years," Ivan replied. "I knew and prepared accordingly. I am at peace with myself."

"Of course. Would you like to do the honours?"

"Of course not, I said I was at peace, not that I was thrilled by it. I'm not a savage."

The other man laughed. "All men think they're tame, until they're not."

Ivan only said, "Tell him to be discrete. I still have to live in this town."

At the door now, Laxus didn't care if he was in the middle of something, he pounded on the smooth wood roughly, barely waiting for his father's gruff, "Enter."

Laxus shoved the door open and came into the room, Kurohebi's gross prize in his hand. His father was sitting at his desk speaking into a lacrima that portrayed Randen's face. Laxus barely looked at Randen, eyes only for his father. He dropped the bone necklace down on the desk and said, "I want him out of the guild."

"I see."

"This is the third one he's left for Cora."

"Mmhmm." It was clear Ivan was uninterested.

"He's a psychopath," Laxus said.

"He's just excited after Cora's recent relationship change," Ivan said idly.

"That's not an excuse," Laxus spat.

"He's enthusiastic."

 _Enthusiastic._

"You know what?" Laxus said. "Forget it. I'll do it myself." He was halfway to the door when Ivan called him back.

"You are not master of this guild."

"One of us has to be," Laxus said. "And it sure as fuck isn't you. He's been dogging her since she joined Raven Tail and you just laugh it off."

Ivan's jaw twitched and his fingers curled on his pen. He didn't look at Randen, but his neck was red enough to let Laxus know he was embarrassed and angry about it. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Kurohebi still has worth. Rough him up if you must to teach him some manners, but he is still a part of this guild."

"The only thing he's good for is fertilizer," Laxus said harshly.

"Laxus—"

Laxus slammed the door between them, knowing full-well he'd be paying for that later if the old man dared. Long steps took him back outside. The grounds were empty. Kurohebi had come-to and picked himself up again.

Laxus reeled around, entering the guild again and choosing his direction wisely; he thought he knew where he'd find Kurohebi, if the sound of Cora's elevated voice was any indication. Her room was off the same corridor as Laxus'. He moved over the concrete and stenciled floor quickly. As soon as he turned the corner, he found his quarry. Kurohebi was pressing Cora's door open while she fought to keep it closed. Laxus didn't ask questions this time. His magic snapped from his fingers and hit Kurohebi squarely. The man went completely rigid. When the spell released him, he collapsed to the floor, a drooling mess. He got back up, though, and faced Laxus.

"I told you to _leave her alone_." Laxus augmented his words with more magic. Lightning left his body, arcing with a very specific destination. It felt different, though, bolstered. Bolstered by one of Cora's power-changing spells. He realized it a millisecond before it hit Kurohebi, but by then, it was too late. The lightning, much stronger than it had been before, entered his body and stopped his heart. He fell, limbs twitching some. When he stopped, his eyes were open and his mouth was still spilling drool. His lungs didn't rise, though. He was dead. It took Laxus a long time to process that. And then, really, it was Cora that put things into perspective.

"Kurohebi?" With her hands clutched together, pressed into the pink wool sweater she wore, she nudged his foot with her toe.

He didn't move.

She tried again. "Kurohebi? Fuck. I don't think he's breathing."

Laxus lifted his gaze and said the first thing he could. "Why would you do that?"

"What?"

"You changed the power of my spell. _Why would you do that?"_

Cora looked scared. "I just…"

" _Cora_."

"I didn't mean to. He was being so weird. I just wanted to increase it a little. I wanted him to hurt."

 _Fuck._ Laxus thrust his fingers through his hair. It didn't help clear things up for him. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ "I can't fucking believe this." _Do something._ What, though? _Anything._ Magic stopped his heart, maybe it could start it again?

He knew before he started that it wouldn't help, not if Kurohebi's heart was completely still. He tried anyway, going to the man's body and pushing bolt after bolt into his chest. He jolted and twitched and foamed more from his mouth. There was no change, though, his chest didn't lift.

Cora was crying. "Stop it, Laxus. You're just making it worse."

How could it get any worse? He was _dead._

"What's going on?"

Ivan Dreyar's voice struck fear in Laxus' heart. He stopped what he was doing and forced his shaking legs to bring him upright. Then he faced his father. His father who wore a face of disbelief and disgust. "What did you do, boy?"

"It was an accident." _An accident._ He felt like a kid again.

"He's dead?"

Laxus couldn't reply.

Ivan pushed by him to feel for Kurohebi's pulse. Seconds passed, bleeding into a minute. Ivan swore. And again. Standing, he pushed his fingers into his temples, mind working overtime.

"Master Ivan, Kurohebi was supposed to be doing a job for the council. He was supposed to leave tomorrow," Cora said. "What are we going to tell them? They'll arrest Laxus for murder if they know, and take him away."

 _Arrest?_ Everything was moving so quickly, Laxus struggled to keep up. "My magic wasn't enough to kill him."

"He's _dead_ ," Ivan barked.

"Cora changed my spell," Laxus protested.

Ivan's face got dark. His fingers clenched into a tight fist. Cora backed up, wary. Laxus joined her. Ivan composed himself enough to say, "It doesn't matter what happened. It was your magic that killed him, Laxus, the council won't care why. You'll be taken from here and thrown in jail."

"But—"

"They _won't care what happened._ Because of that, we can't ever let them know. We'll tell them that Kurohebi left abruptly," Ivan replied in a more collected way.

"We'd be lying," Cora whispered.

Ivan got very intense. "Unless you want to be joining Kurohebi, I suggest you make amends with that, girl. I won't have my son arrested for murder because of your carelessness."

Her chin wobbled. "Yes, Master."

Ivan took in a breath. "I'm going to take care of this. Laxus, return to your room and tell no one. Cora, help me."

Laxus was startled into obeying. It seemed Cora was, too, because when Ivan indicated that she grab Kurohebi's feet, she did.

* * *

Halfway through a micky of whisky, his guilt still wasn't less. He kept thinking about Kurohebi's twitching limbs, the drool. Even knowing that Cora's interference was the catalyst that set everything into motion, Laxus felt sick. He'd killed before, _sure,_ but it was _demons._ Demons that were evil through and through. Kurohebi was just a man. A man that was sick, sure, he was a menace, absolutely. He might have even been dangerous. It was _different,_ though.

 _Different._

 _And Dad's cleaning up your mess._ As calm as you fucking please, hiding a body, hiding _murder._

 _Holy fuck._

Trapped in his room well into dark, Laxus felt caged and twitchy. Needing to do something, he dropped the bottle on the nightstand and stood, going for his door. The hallways were empty and quiet. He felt detached moving through them, a ghost full of disjointed thoughts. His feet carried him to his father's study. It was dark. He moved next to the man's rooms. There was a light on inside, coming through the bottom of the door.

Laxus raised his hand to knock. Voices made him still—one in particular he knew very well. Cora was inside.

"You don't think anyone will find him, do you?"

"No."

"I really didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to scare him some more. When you told us to put on the act to get Laxus to stay, I was okay with it, but him coming to my room wasn't part of the plan."

"It's fine, Cora. Unexpected, but everything is still fine. The distraction worked, I'm sure he's not thinking about catching that train to Fairy Tail. We just needed to keep him here to give Tani time to arrive. He should be here late tonight. He'll harvest the lacrima then we'll kill him, take it and sell the magic to the military as we planned. Crawford assures me we'll be protected from inquisition."

"Why do we have to wait for Tani? Can't we just remove it ourselves?" Cora asked.

"It's delicate work and I'm worried about destroying it. He assured me that even without Zan it can be done, he's had plenty of experience removing them."

"And what about Laxus?"

Ivan hesitated. "It'll probably kill him."

Laxus' ears roared. His mind, already overburdened, struggled to process what he was hearing. He almost turned right around and went back to his room, sure that he was _too fucking drunk, too fucking stressed,_ that he was making things up—imagining them.

 _That must be it._

It didn't ring true.

He grabbed the door handle and turned. The door was silent opening. Light petered out, making everything seem so perfectly clear. There was his father, in his overlarge bed with his hands clamped behind his head, and there was Cora on the mattress beside him, breasts out while she leaned over and dragged her fingers over his chest in a way Laxus was all too familiar with. His mind tried to reject the scene. His eyes, and logic, wouldn't let him.

Disgusted and feeling betrayed, he almost burst in yelling. It was very, very close.

He closed the door as quietly as he'd opened it and returned to his room. He gathered a few things in a bag, took his stash of money, grabbed his micky, and left Raven Tail before he was missed. It felt like running. It felt like he didn't care much.

He just…

Needed time to _think._

* * *

Mira was brought out of a fitful sleep by the sounds of shuffling next door in Laxus' room. Her heart went into her throat, first in fear, thinking there was an intruder in the guild, then, when she heard him stumble and his familiar voice cuss, in excitement. She pressed her lips together and shimmied out from beneath her sheets and adjusted her T-shirt down around her hips. Her feet took her to the door quietly. With her hand on the doorknob, she did a once-over around the room. Lisanna and Elfman were still very much asleep, both snoring lightly.

Very quietly, she opened her door and snuck out into the hall. The lights weren't on in Laxus' room. Not discouraged, she tiptoed over and tapped lightly on the barrier and waited.

The door was tugged open a second later. Illuminated by the moonlight, Laxus was a mess. His hair stuck up at odd angles, his clothes were dishevelled, his shirt more than half undone, his belt open. He'd been getting ready for bed, Mira thought.

"Mira." His voice was thick with alcohol. The smell came to her nose. He'd been drinking a lot. His mouth was a flat line; there was worry and anger in his eyes, though she didn't think it was directed at her.

"Hey."

A look overcame him. Mira thought, for an instant, he was about to tell her to leave. His Adam's apple bobbed. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

* * *

A/N: I feel this story is a kaleidoscope. I'm sorry, I tried to make it better than what it was, and I think it is a little, but it's just… it's not doing what I wanted it to. I'm going to finish it. I _will_ finish it. We're so close. Afterwards… I might banish it to the pits of Hell.

Thanks for sticking it out.


	22. Chapter 22

Moonlight slipped through white drapes to make shadows and ghosts on the floor. Mira came into the darkened room, quiet as could be, and felt her heart do weird things when Laxus closed the door behind her. The snick of the latch sounded so final. She moved to the bed, the same bed she'd spent hours and hours on, talking to him about intimate things, and stood beside the mattress awkwardly. It didn't take Mira much, seeing his bare skin from the folds of his shirt, to realize that after saying so many embarrassing things, doing so much she didn't ever think she could do, she felt shy.

There wasn't much she had to worry about, Laxus paced like an agitated bear, shoving his hands through his already wild hair.

"What's wrong?"

He looked at her like he'd forgotten she was there. "Mira."

"Yeah, hi, welcome back to reality from that epic trip. What's wrong?"

He stopped pacing. "Fuck."

The more seconds that ticked by, the more anxious she became. "Talk to me."

He searched her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Of course." He was freaking her out. Mira grabbed his hand and brought him to the bed. Laxus' legs hit and he collapsed to the mattress. It squeaked beneath his weight. Mira climbed on beside him, sitting close enough that her shin was digging into his hip, and tugged him so he had to look at her. "What's going on?"

Laxus snorted something like a laugh. "I killed someone."

She let that sink in. "What?"

Laxus didn't do anything but look at her.

"Who? Why?" Mira asked. Those seemed important questions. "And how?"

"A guy. From Raven Tail."

His admission came in segments. He didn't want to talk about it, clearly. Mira didn't want to let it rest. "What happened?"

Laxus scrubbed his face.

"Laxus, _what happened?_ "

He cracked. "He was a weird guy. He was always lurking. Making fucked up jewelry for Cora out of snake bones and shit. When we were together and when we weren't."

Mira almost asked who Cora was; she withheld in the interest of getting the full story. Laxus, with great effort, launched into his tale, starting by the oak tree and ending in the hallway by Cora's room. "I didn't plan on killing him. Cora—she does this thing with her magic where she can make yours stronger or weaker or not there at all. She said she wanted Kurohebi to hurt and when I shocked him..."

"She strengthened your spell," Mira finished because Laxus did not.

"Yeah."

"Then what?"

"Then… My dad took his body and got rid of it."

That sounded nice and illegal. _You'd do the same._ Mira pressed her lips together. "He was trying to protect you."

Despite his drunkenness, Laxus' gaze got sharp. "So I could be his lacrima incubator."

"What?" That seemed to be her favorite question.

Laxus tried to rise to pace again. Mira kept him firmly in place. Holding his forearm, she could feel his muscle flex and relax, flex and relax as he made fist after fist.

"A lacrima incubator? What do you mean?" Mira pressed because he just stared off into space.

"Dragon slaying lacrima." Laxus seemed to gather fortitude and spilled that secret, too. When he was through, Mira just looked at him, heart aching because fathers weren't supposed to treat their children like that. She didn't bother asking if he was sure of what he heard or if he believed the man capable, a look in his eyes gave her the answer she was looking for. She only gave pause when he got to the part about demons creating and up keeping the lacrima. He kept shooting her furtive glances, gauging her reaction. Mira kept her face carefully blank, even when she felt betrayed, and congratulated herself liberally for plugging up her self-righteousness.

 _Demons lie._ And so did fathers. Hers and Laxus'. They were both lied to. _So there isn't any sense being mad at him._ After all, she would (and _was_ for that matter) hide a multitude of sins to keep her small family safe. She understood why, when Ivan Dreyar told Laxus to be quiet, he obeyed.

"It was me that was killing all those demons, Mira," Laxus added while she was busy chewing over that revelation.

"What?" There was that question again.

"The 'Vigilante'" he clarified.

" _You?_ " The word started out rash and irritated and fell into something weak.

Unapologetic, Laxus said, "My dad sent me after them. I thought… I thought I was taking out Zan's following, and maybe I was, but before it died, one of them said something to me that I passed off as bullshit back then. It told me that they were asked to let me kill them so I could make my lacrima strong." It was just another wild goose chase, another manipulation. _How did you let this happen?_ He felt stupid. Blind.

Mira gathered her wits. "I can't…" It was a lot to fathom.

"They're going to be looking for me," Laxus said after a long, drawn-out silence. "They're going to want the lacrima. My dad said the council wanted to buy it for their military and Tani wants it for himself, I guess."

"The council? That can't be…" She trailed off, remembering Lily Fields. She adjusted what she was going to say. "I hope they come for it. When they do, we're going to tear them apart. You and me."

There were no words of appreciation or vicious avows. Laxus sighed and dropped himself back on his bed, _frustrated_. He locked his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. Mira hesitated, then joined him, climbing up and wriggling beneath the covers while Laxus stayed on top. The sheets smelled like dust and made her want to sneeze. She withstood the urge, tentatively resting her cheek on the swell of Laxus' bicep. It reminded her of when they were kids, sneaking out into the forest. The memory only hurt her now.

"Your father is going to pay for this."

* * *

Laxus didn't recall falling asleep, the next time he opened his eyes, though, it was to sunlight streaming through the closed window of a room that was almost unfamiliar now. _Fairy Tail_. Last night's events came rushing back, bursting through his hangover fog. Cora and his dad. _For how long?_ Too long. The day she met him at the train after he and Mira wandered off, demon hunting. The bite mark on her ass that he was sure wasn't his.

 _Holy fuck._

That alone was enough to make him want to scream. They weren't together but he was fucking her _at the same time_ his father was. His confidence took a hard and heavy hit as he imagined if it was all a lie, everything Cora ever said or did, if it was all tricks just to make him stay in Raven Tail.

All because of that fucking lacrima.

That lacrima.

He fantasized about tearing it out himself, just to be _separate_. He even went so far as to finger the scar at his chest, imagining how easy it might be to tear it open and search through the blood. Fingers with the nails painted black pressing into his tattoo distracted him from doing anything rash. He followed them to the arm they were attached to, and then followed _that_ up to Mira's shoulder. And then to her face, which was mostly covered by her knot of silver hair. She looked peaceful while she slept, not the ornery terror he knew she _could_ be. Her ear peeked out from beneath her hair, showing off the lime green plug she'd stretched one of her piercings with. Maybe it had hurt at one point, but it looked like the skin had adjusted well.

Like she felt his eyes on her, her lashes fluttered, her lids opened, revealing blue, blue eyes flecked with silver. She caught him staring before he could decide if he should not be. Her mouth twitched, a smile coming, a smile fading. Last night was fuzzy. Laxus tried to remember what kind of big mouth he had. One that spilled all of his secrets because of rage and too much to drink.

He waited until she sucked in a breath and mumbled, "Morning," with her fingers twitching over his skin before he determined if she was furious or not.

She didn't sound _happy._

She wasn't throwing shit at him either, though.

Bonus.

"Morning."

Mira pushed herself up on her elbow and looked around, searching for a clock. She found one on the bedside table, ticking away. It was almost ten-thirty. She groaned. "Why is it so late?"

Laxus watched her push her hair back from her face. When she woke in the morning, her cheeks got bright.

She started to get up. Laxus held her in place. Mira found him again and searched his eyes. "Master's going to want to see you, Laxus. He's going to want to know what you told me."

Imagining recounting everything to his grandfather brought Laxus more awake with adrenaline. He tried to get away from that feeling. Reading the look in his eye, Mira softened, leaning back over him to push his hair from his forehead. She was gentle. Being intimate over their lacrima conversations didn't have _anything_ on that one touch. She kissed him, just a press of her lips. It wasn't until she tried to move away that Laxus threaded his fingers in her hair and kept her there, kissing her more thoroughly, only a little sad for the old alcohol she was surely tasting.

There was still a blanket between them, Mira beneath and Laxus on top, but he felt her pressing into his side, felt her warm hand sliding over his chest and up his neck to cup his cheek. The awkwardness was gone, the panic he'd been feeling was gone, the reserve was gone. A year apart didn't matter. A year since the last time he'd done this seemed like not much time at all.

Laxus wrapped his arm around her and dragged her closer. Mira's breath broke over his cheek in a short _puff_ followed by a contented sigh. In no time, Laxus was achingly hard. He was grabbing for the blankets to tear them back from her body when a fist rapped on his door.

"Are you in there, Laxus?"

Laxus paused, his hand on Mira's ass beneath her T-shirt while he tried to decide how best to answer his grandfather. Ignore him, because _who the fuck_ wanted to be interrupted? Answer, because it was the right thing to do?

The knock came again. "Laxus?"

Laxus took his mouth away from Mira's. "Yeah." His voice sounded used and gravelly.

The doorknob turned. Makarov appeared. Mira didn't scream, she didn't rush to separate. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Laxus' with an exasperated sigh while Makarov assessed them, lips pressed together firmly.

"I said _yeah_ , not _come in_ ," Laxus clarified.

"Your siblings are looking for you, Mirajane," Makarov said concisely. "And I'd like a word, Laxus." He said it in such a way that made denying him impossible. The door closed firmly behind him.

Mira took in a deep breath. "I don't even want to know what your grandfather thinks of me."

"Don't worry, can't be much worse than what he thinks of me," Laxus said in an attempt to be funny. When he realized how _real_ that concern was for him, the smile dropped from his face. _Maybe when you tell him everything, he'll kick you out and your dad and his demon pals won't have too much trouble taking that lacrima._ One demon he could handle. Two, sure. But demons, the magic council, and his father?

Trapped was an apt way to describe how he felt. His erection was gone; the worry was back. Mira got off of him.

"Are you going to tell him about…" Mira trailed off, obviously at a loss for how to finish.

"About the guy I killed, the lacrima I've lied to him about for the last six years or the demons _and_ Magic Council wanting my number?" Laxus asked harshly.

"Everything's going to be fine," Mira said.

That hadn't ever felt less true. He rose, stomach suddenly heavy after the abuse he'd given it last night, and fixed his pants, and then his shirt, not bothering to change. Mira didn't try to say anything else.

* * *

The feeling of dread he had while entering his grandfather's office was a bit tiring. Being exhausted by it didn't make the feeling any less. He found Makarov Dreyar sitting at his desk, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, that perpetually smelly pipe smoking in the other. Basking in the stench, Laxus avowed _never_ to come in here hungover again.

If he ever came in here again at all.

"Good morning." Cordial. But stiff. To say that Makarov was happy to see him would be stretching it.

Laxus sat without being asked and scrubbed his stubbly face. "Morning."

"To what do I owe the honour of you gracing my guild again?"

Laxus peeked at him through his fingers, on the brink of being truthful. At the last second, he turned coward. "Just thought I'd drop by. It's been awhile."

"Certainly has," Makarov said. "And the last time you were here, you slipped out without a word, as I recall, _after_ you told me we'd talk."

When Laxus had called two days later and Gramps hadn't said anything, he assumed the old man just accepted it and let it go. How wrong was he? "I had to catch that train."

"Yes, as you said." He looked on the brink of saying something not very grandfatherly. Laxus waited and waited, sure that it'd feel like a kick in the guts but also sure that he could withstand it. Makarov let the cutting remark go. Laxus breathed easier. For a moment.

"Your father has been calling me."

Laxus' guts churned. "He has?"

"Yes. The ungrateful wretch can only remember what that lacrima is good for when he's looking for you." He puffed on his pipe, sending a cloud of smoke sky-high. "I guess, in a way, I should be glad to hear that I'm not the only one you step out on without saying goodbye to."

Laxus couldn't be bothered fumbling, deciding if he was capable of forming an apology. "Did you tell him I was here?"

"I told him I didn't know," Makarov said.

Some tension bled from Laxus' shoulders. "Thanks."

"You're in trouble, boy." He said it in a very succinct kind of way that left little room for denial. "Tell me what's happening."

"I…"

"If you need help, I'd like to be the one to offer it, Laxus, but I _cannot_ if you keep lying and giving me the runaround. Now _out with it_. Why is your father so _eager_ to find you? He seemed more agitated than usual."

The truth came out easier than Laxus imagined. "My father is looking for his lacrima, not me."

"His lacrima?"

"His dragon slaying lacrima," Laxus clarified.

Makarov's face pinched as he connected the dots. "He did not."

Laxus resisted the urge to rub the scar. "Years ago."

" _Years?_ " he sputtered.

"Yeah." Being truthful like this was like bloodletting. As soon as the words were out, he felt free from a burden he'd carried for too long. _Now tell him about Kurohebi._ That he just could not do. His mouth wouldn't move around the words, not while Gramps looked at him, pity and anger and fear all vying for position on his face.

"Laxus." He rubbed his hand over his wrinkled face, pulling the skin tight before it went loose again. He'd never looked so tired.

Laxus didn't apologize, though he felt like he _should._ He met the man's eyes squarely, looking for hate. There wasn't any. Not yet.

Just disappointment. In him, in his father. "When I report Ivan to the council—"

"The council _knows_ ," Laxus said shortly. "They want to buy it from him. After he removed it." _'It'll probably kill him.'_ He'd never felt so betrayed.

Makarov came alive. "Like _hell_ they do."

Coldly, Laxus offered, "Crawford Seam and Lieutenant Randen of the Magic Council. They were going to buy it after my father had a demon named Tani remove it. The same demon that killed Mira's family."

Makarov's mustache puffed up. "Demons. I've had enough of demons. And Ivan… what the hell is he thinking? What about his son? Did he ever stop to wonder what that would do to you after your body's become so dependent upon the thing? If it were removed, you'd die."

"He knows."

"He knows. Obviously not, because—"

"I _heard him talking,_ " Laxus spat. "He knows."

It hurt watching his grandfather's face move through several more emotions. Rage. Shame.

"He'll probably come looking for me," Laxus said to distract from all that.

Shame gave way to fierce stubbornness. "I invite him to. Crawford Seam and Lieutenant Randen of the Magic Council, you said?"

"Yeah," Laxus agreed.

"I'm filing an official report with the council, Laxus. That way, everything is on record. Ivan can bring his ragtag guild to Fairy Tail to retrieve you. With the proper paperwork filed, there won't be any repercussions for defending ourselves and wiping Raven Tail off the map."

"Did you not hear me?" Laxus asked. "I told you the council's corrupt. They told my father they wanted the lacrima, they know what it is and where it came from." They had to. _Unless Dad lied to them, too_. He didn't believe it. Randen was a sly snake, cold and calculating. It was difficult imagining his father lying to him and actually succeeding. _And Crawford Seam_? He didn't know.

"The council is made of more men and women than Crawford and Randen," Makarov reminded him. "This is the right decision."

Laxus didn't have any other choice but to believe him.

* * *

Laxus spent the next three days on edge, waiting for his grandfather to tell him something like, "The council has arrested your father. And now they're coming for you, too, because he's implicated you in the murder of one of his guild members." He imagined he'd get dragged into the council, thrown into a jail cell, and locked away until Tani showed up or Randen, with a scalpel and smile, ready to do some cutting.

He'd bleed out in one of those dingy cells and no one would care.

His fear only escalated when Gramps called him into his office on the third day and admitted, "I'm going through all the channels, your father's had a 'no travel' ban put on him and everyone in his guild, but the council's reticent to blindly believe our claims. They're conducting an investigation, looking for proof before they put anyone under arrest. Expect some visits from the council's enforcement unit."

"When?"

Makarov seemed frustrated, which led Laxus to believe his conversations hadn't been as productive as he would have liked. "Who can say? They claim their resources are stretched thin. Could be this week, could be two weeks from now. They told me to keep you here under watch and to contact them if Ivan arrived."

"We should go take care of him ourselves." As soon as the words were out, Laxus had to wonder what he meant.

Makarov's mouth got taut. "You're not to go near him. We don't know what he'll do, Laxus, especially if he's feeling threatened by the Magic Council or pushed by these partners he has."

A trapped animal was a dangerous animal.

* * *

Though Mira was a bystander, the next few weeks that passed were stressful, waiting for investigators that never came, accusations that never flew. By mid-February, Laxus admitted to Mira that the council told Makarov that they had conducted their own investigation and couldn't find any evidence to back up Laxus' claim. The travel ban was lifted from Ivan Dreyar, Crawford Seam was allowed to return to work after being put on probation, and Lieutenant Randen remained blameless.

Master Makarov cursed, spouting threats that Gildarts, of all people, backed him out of, reminding him of what was at stake if they marched on Raven Tail as he voiced.

After that, Laxus, who was always sort of a recluse, retreated more. Mira couldn't imagine how he felt. He barely talked to anyone, even her. Most of the time when she saw him, it was when he was in the training hall or—sometimes—around mealtimes. He'd come into the guild, beg food from Penny, then disappear again. She spent most of her time with him at night, when she tiptoed into his bedroom. She learned to do it late because then he was drunk or high or asleep, dreaming fitfully, meaning he was less inclined to tell her to get out like he was when he was sober.

She'd climb in bed with him, ignoring his harsh words when he woke, surprised to see her and irritated that she wouldn't leave well enough alone. She stayed. Sometimes they talked about his dad. Sometimes they talked about Kurohebi. Sometimes they talked about Cora; Laxus was always reluctant to venture into that territory. Mira was relentless, more worried than she wanted to admit. Their visits always ended the same way: he'd tell her he didn't want to talk until he was. When they exhausted everything there was to say that night, she'd kiss him until her mouth was bruised and her body was burning and he was touching her like he promised in one of their long, drawn-out late-night conversations.

* * *

Mira expected her eighteenth birthday to pass as all of her birthdays usually did, without fuss and only a few small gifts from Elfman and Lisanna.

She was mostly right. The only difference was that this year when she woke up, there was a golden box beside her head, one wrapped up in a black bow. She barely dared to open it. Curiosity got the better of her. Inside was a charm bracelet nicer than anything she'd ever owned before. Silver with stars and moons and slots for anything else she wanted to add. She was taking it out of the box and holding it up to the late spring sunlight when she felt Lisanna's eyes on her. She found the girl in the folds of her blankets, watching her like a hawk.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah," Mira replied. "Is it from you?"

She shrugged. "Me and Elfman, and Gildarts."

It was too expensive. "Where did you get the money for it?"

"Gildarts, mostly."

"We cleaned his house to pay him back," Elfman spoke up. "It was gross."

Mira smiled. "Yeah." She'd been in there once and only once to look for a healing lacrima after they did a job that got a little rougher than expected. He lived the bachelor life, mostly unconcerned about cleanliness. "That was brave of you. Thanks, guys." She put it on, though she was afraid of breaking it or losing it, then got dressed in a black, low-cut sweater dress that was sort of decent but mostly not.

She found Gildarts downstairs at the bar. It was too early, even for him, so he had a tall coffee in his hand. Mira climbed up on the stool beside him and grinned like she always did. "Hey."

Gildarts looked to her wrist first and smiled. "Something new?"

Mira rolled her eyes. "Thanks for taking them into town. And thanks for buying it."

He shrugged her off. "They worked hard for it."

"It was nice anyway. Thank you. You've been really good to us." She threw her arms around his shoulders quick. It was the first time she'd hugged him, ever, and probably the last because he stiffened and didn't return it. Mira let him go before she could even begin to fathom what his problem was or get embarrassed. "I'll see you later."

He didn't respond to _that,_ either.

* * *

It was cool, the ground still locked up with snow, but as Mira sat on the railing of the balcony that night with a not-quite-as-cranky Laxus standing on one side and a laughing, mostly drunk Cana on the other, she barely felt the cold. It might have had something to do with Cana leaning into her legs, blocking the chilled wind. Or it might have had something to do with the way Laxus looked at her, eyes lingering where Cana touched.

It seemed that all Cana needed was a little bit of alcohol, a little bit of privacy, and it was like they hadn't spent most of the last month since Laxus came back being nothing but friendly. Mira brushed her fingers aside at first while they tickled up her leg, disappearing beneath the hem of her dress, uncertain of Laxus' reaction.

"Let me, Mira," Cana whispered the final time Mira grabbed her wrist and put her hand on her knee.

Mira's body burned and got even hotter when Laxus said, "No one's going to come out," reading her apprehension but misreading its cause.

Mira licked her cold-chapped lips. "Probably not."

Laxus grabbed her knee and spread her legs apart more, then leaned in and kissed her, cupping her cheek. Cana made a small noise somewhere between a protest and a pleased sigh and inched further up the skirt of Mira's dress. Mira broke her kiss to watch for just a moment. Cana's hair gleamed darkly, twisting around her shoulders in the light breeze, her eyes danced with an excitement that only grew as she found the silk of the undergarment Mira had donned that morning. She pushed the material aside, finding her body and moving her fingers in that way she had, knowing what Mira liked and how she liked it.

 _Oh._ Mira's ears roared. The sound only got louder as Laxus kissed her again, a firm and insistent press of his mouth onto hers. Mira forgot that she was outside. She forgot the ludicrousness of the situation. She forgot to worry if Laxus was worried that Cana was touching her. She spread her legs more, inviting Cana to continue. Every moan she let out, Laxus drank down. He grabbed her beneath the fabric of her coat, he bit her lip hard, he rubbed his hips into her leg.

Mira's whole body pulsed, her blood roaring hotly through her veins, so when Cana slipped her fingers inside and found that one sweet spot, it didn't take her long to come. She clutched Laxus' coat, and Cana's hair, pulling hard. She didn't even remember grabbing it. Cana slowed, purring softly, and took Mira by the chin, forcibly breaking her kiss so she could take one of her own. She tasted like alcohol, as always, and chap stick. The kiss was over too fast. Her fingers disappeared. Mira's body pulsed in her absence.

"Happy birthday," Cana whispered.

Mira grabbed her and tried to pull her back in for another kiss. Cana smiled impishly and ducked out of range.

"Come back," Mira protested.

Cana said, "Can't, gotta get up early tomorrow, Mira. I got an interview for a job."

She didn't know if she believed her or not, but what else was there to say? "Alright."

She watched Cana until the door closed behind her. Then Laxus took her place between Mira's legs, feeling her skin, kissing her neck. Against her ear, he whispered, "You're cold."

She didn't feel it.

He pressed his hips into hers, a promise of what was to come. "Want to go back in?"

How could she say no?

Her night ended mostly naked with her sprawled on Laxus' bed, too drunk for her own good with the taste of his body lingering in her mouth.

* * *

The next day was slow to start, but when it did, it began with news of Achnologia. After so long, he'd managed to break through the King's best forces. The crown was assembling a team of elite mages and again requested that Gildarts join.

He accepted like Mira knew he would, not because he felt an overwhelming source of _duty_ , but because he was scared. He'd been scared since that night Elfman got sick, and Mira thought she even knew why, with some help from Cana. Nomadic Gildarts didn't want to be tied down. He didn't want to be a father figure, either. He didn't want to care. He wanted to roam the country, slaying bar rats, he wanted glory and fame and fucking, he wanted freedom. He couldn't have that with three ragtag kids calling on him when they needed an Adult. He couldn't have that when he was doing thoughtful things like getting Important Birthday presents.

It was conjecture. It was probably accurate.

Knowing it was likely truth didn't stop the hurt she felt.


	23. Chapter 23

Mira's hair was a silver waterfall over her shoulder, shining by the light of a nacreous moon. Laxus looked up the line of her body, enjoying the peculiar view from between her legs. She made an effort to be quiet as always. He had to use the tells of her body to see if he was doing something she liked. Her fingers tugging on his hair was a good indication, the goose bumps on her skin, the hard buds her nipples had become, the shockwave that moved through her when he gathered her onto his tongue and sucked. She shifted, arching her hips and thusly forcing her body into him harder. The bed betrayed them. Mira didn't hesitate as she usually would, scared of being heard, she reached behind herself and grabbed him, pumping his erection in a way that wasn't skillful, she was too mindless for that, but felt good all the same, especially when she leaned back, planting her right elbow on the right side of his body, and took him into her mouth.

If he wasn't so concerned with making her come, he'd swear and thrust deeper. As it was, she was close. So close. Which was good because his tongue was starting to ache. He let her take him as deep as she liked and kept on with exactly what he was doing, not changing pace or rhythm at all, afraid the change would spell a longer workout for him. He was rewarded for his perseverance. Her body twitched, her skin lifted in goose bumps again. She bowed over him. He caught most of her moan with her mouth on his cock, but the way she writhed wouldn't allow for it to stay that way. He came out of her mouth and heard her low whimper as she fought to stay quiet. He was twice as hard when she was through.

Mira sat up, gathered her curling silver locks over her right shoulder, and shimmied down his body so he was hovering at her opening. More than anything he wanted to tilt his hips into hers. He waited, settling for tasting her tongue, her chin, her neck, her breasts. She shuddered again and exhaled a breathy encouragement, and tipped her hips into his. She was so wet and warm; he could feel her heat emanating through the condom he'd rushed to put on in the hopes that tonight would be different than the other nights they were together.

Mira rocked back further, letting him slide inside some and held it there. Thinking she'd pull back again, teasing him like she usually did, Laxus counted the seconds she granted him. Something fantastic was happening, though. This time, she gave him what he wanted, rolling her hips back and taking him all the way inside.

Laxus hauled in a surprised breath. Mira stiffened, her body arched over his.

Laxus took her hips in his hands, longing to rock. He waited for that, too. "Are you okay?" What the fuck would he say if she said no? He didn't want to come in her mouth again. He didn't want to left hand it, either.

There was no need to worry. "Yeah," Mira whispered. "It's just… been awhile." She breathed out and started to rise and fall, slowly, so slowly. That was plenty fine enough. It had been awhile for both of them. He didn't want to embarrass himself.

Mira stopped almost as soon as she started.

"Are you okay?" Laxus whispered again.

"You're not going to be, if you keep asking me that," she muttered.

"Why did you stop?"

"The bed's too loud."

He arched into her in an attempt to prove her wrong.

She was right. The mattress was old. He kept going anyway, until she pressed her palms into his chest and complained again. "Stop, Laxus. It's too loud."

Fuck sakes.

He almost didn't care.

He wanted to keep doing this, though, so he stopped. "Get up."

"What for?"

"Just trust me, get up."

Mira obeyed, rising to stand beside the bed awkwardly. Laxus followed her, grabbing her once and kissing her thoroughly to disband any apprehension she might be feeling. She melted into him, becoming more malleable once more. When her fingers were sliding over his back, he stood and guided her to the window sill where the ledge was large enough for her to sit on.

"Get up," he told her.

Mira, compliant, hurried to do that as well. Laxus had to crouch so they were even. He grabbed her legs up beneath the knees and spread her wide. Sliding into her was easy after that. She hissed quietly and grabbed his biceps, stalling his movements when he was in to the base.

"It's okay?" Laxus asked again.

"Stop asking and start doing," Mira commanded.

He went slow despite her assurances. She didn't come again, but it felt good, she left score marks in his shoulders and bite marks on his neck as proof.

* * *

Mira relished the way between her legs pulsed; it was a sensation that vied for domination with the cold she felt at her back, winter coming through the window to cool her skin. Her front was warm, though, with Laxus' body pressing into hers. He breathed a little faster and there was a slight skim of sweat on his skin, but he hadn't turned himself inside out for her. It made her kind of sad and kind of glad; there were plenty more ways to do this. And plenty more places, places where her enjoyment wouldn't be hampered by the want to be quiet. She was sure her brother and sister weren't stupid, they knew what she was doing in here all night, but it was one thing for them to know and another for them to have proof.

Laxus' fingers trailed down her spine. He started to pull out of her, soft again, but paused, his attention snagging on something outside. "Is that Lisanna?"

Three words were enough to kick Mira's heart into high-gear. She turned, following Laxus' gaze, and found her sister stumbling across the grounds toward the forest. She was in a sweater, her pajama pants and winter boots. With every footfall, wet snow was kicked up in her wake. She stumbled and came upright again, in a rush.

"What is she—" Mira trailed off, seeing another figure chase after her. Together, Lisanna and Elfman looked like ghosts on a field of white. It would be easy to lose them in the snow. Easier still because she wasn't ready to follow them out into the cold. "Fuck. What the hell do they think they're doing?"

"Chasing something?" Laxus suggested.

That was exactly what it looked like. Mira pushed him back unceremoniously and went for her clothes, not bothering to get cleaned up. There was no _time._ She tripped into the jeans she'd been wearing and fumbled uselessly with her bra. She almost gave up when she got the latches at the last second. Then she grabbed her wool sweater, nearly tearing it as she yanked it over her head. By the time she was grabbing her socks and looking for her boots, Laxus was dressed in dark jeans and a hoodie. He tugged his steel toes on last, and his coat.

"You're coming?" Mira asked.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

Mira didn't spare him a smile, too worried for that. She couldn't see Lisanna _or_ Elfman anymore.

Tearing back the door, she took the hallway toward the balcony, thinking it'd be faster. The good feeling she'd been riding was but a memory that evaporated in the late winter air. Her hair was pushed by a cool breeze, strangling her. Mira gathered it up as she moved, putting it in a low side ponytail. It sort of helped.

Snow burned her fingers as she grabbed the bannister and vaulted over the side. The drop down was as far as she remembered. She hit the ground without grace, falling to her knees because she wasn't quite sure where the snow ended and the earth began. She was up again in an instant. Laxus landed beside her, not faring much better. As always lately, he was drinking, and while he wasn't as intoxicated as he had been in the past, he was in a little too deep to be completely coordinated. He was still faster than she was, his legs longer. He caught up to her run and kept pace.

"There are their footprints," Mira said, pointing ahead to the indents in the snow.

"They're going into the woods," Laxus said what Mira already knew.

 _Why_ was the question. "Lisanna! Elfman!" she called, hoping they'd hear her and respond. _They're too far ahead._ It had taken her too long to get out here. _The night's dead quiet, though_. They _had_ to hear her. " _Lisanna!_ "

She couldn't hear even if they _did_ respond, the wind was rushing by her ear, her breath was loud coming from her chest, the swish of her boots was overbearing. She tried again anyway. " _Elfman!_ "

The light of the moon guided her over the lumpy grounds. Panic and worry made her feel like she could fly, nothing, not wet snow, not uneven footing, would keep her back.

The forest had different ideas. As soon as she plunged into its depths, two problems presented themselves: it was significantly darker in here with the canopy, even winter-barren as it was, blocking out the meager light and thusly, making it infinitely more difficult to follow Lisanna and Elfman's trail, and every damn twig in the world was there, catching her hair, her clothing, her skin, and _tearing_ , leaving her with scratches, some that bled and some that stung. Behind her now, at more of a disadvantage with his height, Laxus cussed like a sailor and broke branch after branch. He was a bull in a china shop, the forest bearing signs of his passing.

" _Lisanna!_ " Mira hollered again. Her voice echoed off trees and rock faces she couldn't see, bits of granite poking through the ground. A small copse of thick cedar blocked her path. She ducked beneath the branches, following a footprint that could have only been Elfman's. Laxus barreled in after her.

The smell of tree sap and snow filled her nose, bits of the cold stuff snuck down the collar of her sweater, dislodged by her rough tumble through the branches. Mira came out the other side a free woman for three steps. Then a hand clamped on her bicep, tugging her up so short, she fell back. She didn't land in the snow, though, Laxus hauled her up at the last second, saving her from getting soaked, both by the snow and by the river she'd almost raced over. Here, the trees overhead was a little thinner, allowing the moon to illuminate the rotten ice. A full spring melt was a long way off, yet things were certainly getting underway.

"Careful," Laxus warned.

"Thanks," Mira tugged from his grip. Panting, she searched for where Elfman's steps picked up again and felt her heart falter. His boot marks clearly ventured out on the thin ice. Lisanna's smaller prints could be seen beside his.

The worse part was, they didn't terminate on the opposite side of the bank. They just stopped.

"You're not going out there," Laxus said, reading her clearly.

"Yeah, I am," Mira responded automatically.

"Mira, you'll go through."

Like she needed to be told. "Elfman and Lisanna—" She didn't _know_ if they ended up in the water or not, but that seemed a likely scenario, didn't it? She skipped away from Laxus' unyielding grip and took the first step out on the ice too quickly. She almost slipped on the snow-slicked layer. And then what? The force of her body hitting the ice would break it for sure. She found her balance at the last second and did what she could to ignore Laxus' tensed groan.

"Get _back_ here, Mira."

She didn't dare to look around as she sidled out toward the center. "No." Mira imagined she could hear Laxus' teeth grinding over the tense _pop, pop, pop_ of the ice sinking and settling. Freezing water lapped at her boots. The ice creaked.

"Right now, Mira. I swear to fuck; I'm not going in after you."

His toes were on the edge of the ice despite his claims.

Mira was almost there, halfway out on the river and just feet away from where Elfman and Lisanna's footprints disappeared. Magic pricked over her skin, and not her own. It was strange and heady. _Not quite right_.

"Mira, get back here," Laxus commanded, feeling it, too.

She definitely couldn't now. "Something's wrong."

"Yeah, you're about to go in the water and freeze to death," he said.

She didn't bother responding, choosing to hold her hand out to feel where the magic was coming from. It played over her skin, almost hurting with its intensity. A seed of light bloomed at chest height, bright in the dark. Mira's mouth went dry as the source of the magic made itself known. It expanded at an alarming rate, getting tall and wide. She thought it was a person at first, but no, in actuality it was a doorway. _A portal._

The ice below her feet groaned more and sank an inch. Mira finally looked back over her shoulder to see Laxus venturing out. "It won't hold us both."

Laxus looked determined "Come away from that."

"Elfman and Lisanna disappeared inside." She knew it in her bones. "And whatever's on the other side, it's not good, Laxus." It couldn't be, not with magic like that.

He swore liberally and called her several names she would have hit him for under different circumstances. As it was, she edged closer to her mark. Likewise, Laxus edged closer to her.

"I don't think the ice will hold us both." Especially not him, he was too heavy.

"You're not going in by yourself," he told her.

Ahead, the light wavered. _It's disappearing again._ Mira trapped her breath in her lungs. "Be quick."

Seeing what she had in mind, Laxus expelled a breath. "Ready?"

"Yes. Hurry."

He moved as fast as he could. Ice fractured beneath his feet. Closer to Mira, it broke completely, a mirror shattered, and tried to drag them both under. It would have succeeded, except Laxus was just a second faster, leaping and grabbing Mira around the waist. He pulled her backwards through the portal in the most inelegant way he could.

The breath left Mira's lungs at the same time cold water soaked her right foot, the one planted on the ground the longest. Both sensations left her mind completely in the coming seconds as her body was pulled through the portal. Bright light encompassed her, air dissipated and her skin pricked with hot coals. The river fell away, the cold night, the moon. She twisted so wildly, she lost all sense of direction. Which way was up, which way was down? She didn't know. The only thing she _did_ know was that Laxus had an ironclad grip on her. Despite that, when they touched down on the other side, his locked arms were forced apart. Mira sprawled one way, he went the other. She rolled and rolled. Her hair went back to choking her. Sharp and hard things dug into her body, stealing her breath away. Finally, she rolled to a stop beside a giant rock wall and just stared up at a smooth stone ceiling while her head spun.

"Holy fuck," Laxus swore from far away. Mira would have looked at him but it felt like if she turned her head, she might throw up. She focused on the ceiling, on the stalactites dropping calcium-rich water down on the damp floor beneath her back. She listened to each drop that fell and plunked into puddles just like she listened to Laxus' breathing. Ten seconds passed. Twenty.

 _Now you're wasting time. Get up_. Everything ached, but especially her elbow; she'd knocked it on a stray rock. Mira used the wall at her back as a stabilizer. By the time she was vertical, her vision had stopped spinning just enough that she could focus on Laxus on the opposite side of the small, yet tall, cave they'd ended up in. He had the same idea she did, leaning heavily on the rock wall to make sure he didn't end up on his face again. He looked green.

"Alright?" Mira asked.

He leaned over and spat on the floor. Mira thought he'd vomit, but he seemed to pull himself together. "Yeah. Just dizzy."

Mira turned her attention away from him to see what kind of shitpile they'd stumbled in to. On one side of the cave was an opening that led deeper inside. It was small enough that Laxus would have a hard time squeezing through, but Mira thought she'd be alright. On the other side was the outside. Mira wandered over, getting on her knees and peeking out to get her bearings. They were in a cave on a small mountain. Below was a valley filled with coniferous trees separated by a meandering river. Just north of that was a town Mira was surprised to see that she recognized. She looked harder, just to be sure, but there was no mistake, Kardia Cathedral looked back at her on top of its hill.

"We're not far from the guild," Mira reported. "I can see the cathedral still."

"Why the hell was there a—a portal to this shitty cave?" Laxus asked the question Mira had been pushing off. "What's here?"

 _Nothing good_. She could feel that magic energy again, growing ever so slowly but _steadily_. "I don't think we're going to have to wait long to find out."

She'd just finished speaking when she heard Lisanna's voice calling her name from afar. It was followed closely by, " _Stop running! Wait! Please!"_

"I hear Lisanna," Laxus said, picking up on her voice the same time Mira did.

While she was confused, Mira was anxious enough to forgo asking questions. She abandoned the exit and ventured further into the cave, ducking between the rocks. It was darker than hell on the other side. She waited to make an orb of light because Laxus needed her help. Though he'd turned sideways to get through the passage, he'd gotten stuck like she feared. Taking his hand, she pulled him through with all her might, a little fearful of dislocating his arm but determined, mostly because she didn't want to be in the dark by herself. He only fit when he expelled every ounce of breath from his lungs. On the other side, he gasped in air and rubbed his chest where it was abraded by the stone.

" _Mira!_ " Lisanna sounded closer now. "Stop, _please_. He's—he's going to kill you."

Mira released Laxus, focusing on lighting up the cave. She didn't get the chance, as soon as she thought about acting, small bulbs of flame came into the world, igniting sporadically around the space. It took long seconds for Mira's eyes to adjust to the dancing firelight. When they _did_ , she drank up her surroundings greedily in order to slow her aching heart and her speeding mind. She didn't think, _I know this fire,_ or _this is it, after so many years,_ or _Elfman and Lisanna are in here somewhere with the demon that killed our family and wants our blood_. If she did, she'd lose control, and that was something she very, _very_ much wanted to maintain.

She directed her efforts to assessing her surroundings. This segment of the cave was shorter than the other, the stalactites and stalagmites reaching for each other and touching. Puddles of cool water collected on the floor, reflecting back the flames and her reflection. Laxus stepped in one of the puddles, destroying the image and giving Mira the courage to inch closer to the center, ducking beneath the uneven ceiling. In a few paces, she could stand straight again. Mildew was heavy on the air. And his scent. Rot and ash.

Her palms tingled. She suddenly had to pee. _It's just nerves. Don't be scared. Don't. You're the She-Devil. You're Mirajane Strauss. You've killed_ tons _of demons before. Really powerful ones. Ones like Tani._

Right?

She didn't _know._

"Mira," Laxus said.

Surprised, a yell plugged up her throat. Mira stopped it from slipping out last-second and betraying her. "What?" Yet, as she asked, she saw what he wanted her to see. One of the bulbs of fire slipped from the ceiling fluidly and inched down the cave wall toward the floor. Mira prepared herself for what would be when it met its destination.

 _Gods._

She was ashamed at how much her hands shook.

 _Breathe and do this on your own terms._

"I know it's you. Show yourself, Tani." Mira's voice shook just _slightly_. _Coward,_ she berated herself. Laxus came to rest at her side, watching carefully.

The fire hit the ground and fanned out, crackling where it touched water and set it to evaporating. Then it started gathering itself up, forming into something humanoid. In Mira's mind, she was thirteen again and in her family's home, the floors and walls were burning around her, a creature was coming out of the shapeless flames. Pit-like eyes, an empty mouth that delivered a rasping voice that resonated in her ears. She was almost paralyzed when Tani stood straight, whole once more. He was as horrible as she remembered him being, his eyes just as hollow in his face, his body shifting fire.

"Mirajane Strauss." And yes, his voice was just as resonating.

Mira only stared.

"You look frightened. Is it the flame?" He almost sounded kind. The fire that encompassed his body started to peter back, revealing skin that was pockmarked granite, red-hot. If she touched him, Mira thought she'd leave her skin behind. The demon said, "I want this to last for as long as possible, so I will accommodate your fear until it is time to turn you to ash."

His entire body gave itself over to the granite-like skin, his face lastly. Mira stared. She'd never seen him without all the fire before. She committed the face of her parent's killer to memory, every knobby crater reminiscent of igneous rock moulded into something human-like, every line, the hollows where his eyes sat deep in his face, still blacker than pitch and cruel.

"Is this better?" When he spoke, his teeth revealed themselves, long and yellowed and sharp, looking more like bone than any teeth Mira knew.

Laxus' hand curled around Mira's, making her jolt. She realized that she hadn't moved or said a word in too long. She swallowed, throat parchment-dry, and asked, "Where are Lisanna and Elfman? Are they dead?"

"No, Mirajane. No. Not dead. Not yet," Tani replied.

Mira's legs felt so weak with relief, she could have fallen. Fortitude and a desire to survive kept her from the ground. "How did you trick them to coming out here?"

"Lisanna's grown up to be quite fond of you, despite your attitude toward her," Tani explained. "All I had to do was get a little bit of help. I inserted myself in her dream while she slept, showed her _you,_ agitated and on my trail, and she was up and out of bed."

"She was sleepwalking?" Mira asked.

"Just so. I thought I'd have to go back for Elfman, but he followed her out like a faithful dog right up until he fell through the ice.

 _Fell through? Gods._ The ice hadn't _looked_ broken, but it was more than possible that the river jammed up again, hiding the evidence. Mira had seen it do something similar before.

"And you left him there to drown." Tani smirked. "How does that feel?"

"Like you're lying," Mira said ineffectually.

"If you want to believe that, by all means."

Laxus spoke, reminding Mira of his presence. "I'll take care of this guy while you go ahead and keep looking, Mira."

Tani rejected him before Mira could. "I've been waiting _five years_ for this. Nothing is going to stand in my way, Laxus Dreyar. Not even you. I don't _care_ how much you're worth, I will burn you to dust, lacrima and all, and your father can find a new rat to do work on for me."

His words hung in the air. Laxus' fingers tightened on Mira's almost painfully. "I'm no one's rat."

Those bone teeth revealed themselves again. "Sensitive?"

Mira found her voice. "Go ahead, Laxus. I'll take care of him." If she could stop quivering.

Laxus glanced at her, a pointed look in his eye. He knew she was terrified. He also wasn't going to sell her out. He didn't ask if she was sure, he didn't offer any words of encouragement. He only said, "I'll find Lisanna. Elfman, too. They're probably together."

Mira realized she'd been clutching his hand back when he released her but they were still connected. She made her fingers loosen one-by-one, freeing him to venture around Tani, deeper into the cave. The demon didn't try to stop him, though he _did_ eye Laxus carefully, looking for any signs of attack. Mira finally donned her Satan Soul, as a means of distraction and protection.

Her confidence faltered when Tani laughed instead of hesitated. _Don't. Don't let him get to you._ She squared her shoulders, feeling the power throb through her veins, and waited, offering Tani the opportunity to make the first move, that way, she'd be able to gauge his attack strength and get a feel for the way he liked to do things.

"Has anyone ever told you, you're a thief, Mirajane Strauss?" Tani asked in a way that was too calm for Mira's liking.

"I've never stolen anything." Nothing of great value, anyway.

"On the contrary. You stole my power and you stole five years of my _time_ hiding behind Gildarts Clive."

Mira turned her nose up. "I wasn't hiding, but _you_ were, coward. I spent every day looking for you but you were afraid of what Gildarts would do."

"Perhaps I just didn't want to deny you the satisfaction of pursuing the thing that had given your life purpose for so long," Tani suggested. "What would you be if you weren't constantly looking for the demon that killed your parents and threatened your family?"

Just a girl with a power she didn't ever ask for.

"I know you're afraid," Tani said with certainty. "And you've _been_ afraid all this time. You don't have to be frightened anymore, though, Mirajane. I will send you to your brother and your parents, and little Lisanna will follow, too, I will take your uncertainty and your pain away. You can let go of this curse and you can get out from beneath the shame of your father's name. No demon will dream of having your heart in their hands, demon hunter's spawn. I'm giving you the grandest gift of all: freedom."

The cost of freedom was, as always, much too high.

* * *

Demons lied. Demons lied all the fucking time. Laxus knew that. He knew that with a surety that was _unfaltering_. Yet, it was with that same _surety_ that he knew Tani did not lie about this. Elfman was _not_ in this cave. And if he wasn't in this cave, it seemed the likelihood of him being in the river was very, very high.

He'd never say as much to Mira, never ever, especially when she was about to fight her childhood nightmare, but if Elfman was in the river, there wasn't any sense going back for him now. They'd never make it in time. Lisanna would better benefit from his help.

There was no _time_ to feel guilt. It was such a constant in his life lately, though, he barely had to try.

 _Just… just focus on doing this._ This one thing. Saving one life. It wouldn't replace the one he took, intentionally or not, but it would satiate some greedy guilty part of his heart, wouldn't it?

Ahead was another narrow passageway Laxus hoped he'd fit through. Leaving behind Mira was hard, especially when he felt how much she was shaking. All the same, when the time came, he turned his body sideways and approached the slit in the rock with momentum, hoping it would be enough to carry him through. His already bruised ribs got caught again, slowing him up some. Laxus was able to grab the rock on the opposite side of the opening and pull himself through with great effort. On the other side, without the light from Tani's fires, it was dark.

Laxus heard laboured breathing that the rock had insulated him from before. Needing to see, he used his magic in a way he had never tried, sending it up around the ceiling and keeping it from dissipating. In the wavering light, a pale haired Lisanna came into view. And her captor. His large red-stoned ring was the first thing to light up, his hand clamped over Lisanna's mouth, and then his eyes. Even without the light by which to see his face, Laxus would have known Lieutenant Randen anywhere.

"Is this a Magic Council sanctioned event?" he asked, unable to help himself. "Or are you just working with demons now?"

"Ivan was struggling to uphold his end of the bargain, so I decided to cut out the middleman."

"You're betraying my father?" He didn't know how he should feel about that. Part of him felt outraged _for_ his old man. A larger part was disgusted with himself for even _considering_ feeling that way.

"He will get his cut, as per our agreement. Zan made only one lightning dragon slaying lacrima."

"Why not try to make others?" Laxus didn't know _why_ he talked. To give himself more time to come to terms with his predicament? He didn't even _know_ what kind of magic Randen had. Just that it made his skin itch when the man hadn't even used it.

"We have," Randen admitted. "Other attempts at creating one since Zan's unfortunate end has been… discouraging. Lightning is a fickle element. I guess you could say, you're one of a kind."

"Man, if only I could go back in time and tell little me that what I always thought was true."

Randen smiled despite himself. "You're a funny guy."

No. He was an asshole. "Let the girl go."

"Regrettably, I cannot. This was part of the deal."

Laxus put the pieces together. "It was your magic that led Lisanna out. And the portal?"

The man only said, "Leave, Laxus, and wait for a representative from the council to come collect you."

Gramps' words haunted Laxus. _The council's made of more men than Randen and Crawford._ Was it true? Or were every single one of them crooked? He decided to run with it and see where the supposition took him. "I know you and Crawford are operating on your own. Let the girl go and make sure I never see your face again, and I'll consider keeping my mouth shut about this."

"Threats now?" Randen mused.

Laxus stared him down, nervous because he was a _Lieutenant_ for the Magic Council, but also stubborn. "I'll give you another chance."

"Then what?" Randen asked. "You fight me off and save the day? You go back to Fairy Tail and live out the rest of your life as a false dragon slayer, hoping that lacrima will hold up for as long as you need it to?"

"Something like that," Laxus agreed.

"It'll never be, Laxus. Not ever. As we speak, the Magic Enforcement Unit is moving in on our location, coming to apprehend a dangerous criminal."

"A dangerous criminal?" Laxus repeated.

"A murderer," Randen replied. "A man who can't control his magic. Ivan will take a heavy hit for this, but his guild will survive. You will be taken into custody, deemed a serious threat, and locked away in the deepest part of our jail. When the world has forgotten about you, which I'm sure won't be long, we will take that lacrima and put it to good use."

"What do you want it for?"

"I can't reveal that information," Randen said. "It's a matter of national security."

"The flattery just keeps on coming," Laxus replied. "You really have me thinking that I'm something special."

Lisanna chose that moment to act. Laxus watched her bite Randen's hand hard enough to draw blood. The man yelled and released her. She rushed from his hold, scurrying as only she could and didn't stop until she was behind Laxus, back pressed against the rock wall. She panted. Laxus didn't bother asking her if she was hurt because now he had no excuse to waste anymore time trying to figure out a course of action. It was time to fight.

Lightning came when he called it.

* * *

Bit of steam. Bit of action. Bit of drama. Pour vous. Wrap-up chapter? Maybe two.

-Freyja


	24. Chapter 24

Laxus thought he was prepared for anything Randen could throw at him. He wasn't prepared for the portal that opened beneath his feet. It sucked him in without mercy and took him for another wild ride, one that lasted seconds that felt like hours, through a void of black. Churning, churning, it was impossible to know his direction anymore. He twisted, arms thrown wide, thinking, _how do I get out_ , just when an exit made itself known, appearing at his back. He dropped like a stone through water, bursting out of the strange _in between_ Randen's magic had sent him to and emerging from the ceiling. Like the cave he'd left Mira inside, this one was shorter than the first, full of stalactites and stalagmites that reached for each other and barely touched, meaning he didn't have far to go. Yet, it didn't matter _how_ short his fall was, when he hit the bottom, the air still left his lungs, he still _ached._

Overhead, the lightning Laxus had been using to see by flickered and went out. With absolutely no light coming in from _anywhere_ , Laxus was acutely aware of Lisanna's fast breathing, his own stranded gold-fish-gulps, Randen's council-issued boots sliding over the rocky, limestone ground.

 _Coming for you_.

His lungs finally took in air. Win. Next, he needed to see.

Laxus redoubled his efforts and set the overhead lightning to sparking again. The wavering white-gold light revealed Randen stepping around a huge stalagmite, too close. The white of his eyes looked almost yellow, his skin gleamed darkly; he was sweaty. Whether it was because he didn't _like_ the idea of what he was about to do or because it was warm in the cave in his long, white council coat when compared to the outside world, Laxus didn't know.

Randen said, "This isn't a fight you'll win, Laxus. Heed my words and leave, wait for the council to arrive. Tani will let you walk free."

"And then what?" Laxus asked, getting up slowly and putting himself between Lisanna and Randen again. "I'm free for an hour? Two? Then I get put away and cut up when you think no one will miss me. Sounds like a pretty shitty option to me. I'll fight, thanks." Lightning pricked his fingers, his fist, and then his arm. With a thought, it danced to the floor and travelled too quickly for the eye to follow, using the puddles as a conductor.

Randen didn't do much to dodge the attack. In fact, he stood and waited patiently for the lightning to hit him. When it did, it trekked up his body and through his muscles, making him twitch and yell, just like Laxus _expected_. And then it was gone, and not just naturally. The ring on his finger, that garishly ugly red stone, siphoned off the charge and glowed.

Randen gathered himself up again, wiped a line of drool from his mouth, and reached at his hip. He tugged out a short, cylindrical club that, when he snapped his wrist, elongated into a staff, one Laxus recognized not only by sight, but also by _feel_. As soon as it was unleashed, his skin was buffeted by the same strange power that had exploded the people in Lily Fields.

 _Oh._ It was sickening to be this close to it. The staff's body glowed like the ring and Laxus could only assume that the two were connected, one to absorb power, the other to unleash it in deadly bursts.

 _Don't freak out._ That was easier said than done, he kept thinking about the woman that ruptured all over him, spilling black ichor. The thought of _they want you alive—_ for a short amount of time, anyway—and pride kept him from grabbing Lisanna and turning tail, something he'd never done before.

"You talk a big game, Randen, but I know you're not going to use that on me, so just put the toy away." He _sounded_ confident at least.

Randen gritted straight white teeth. "It's not for you, Laxus."

Lisanna started to sob.

 _Oh,_ he thought again.

The girl's wail got louder.

"Give this up and I'll make it quick," Randen said. "Save her some pain."

Laxus was afraid to look. "Get out of here, Lisanna!"

"So she can do _what_?" Randen asked. "Go out there and be killed by a demon? She'll fare better in here. I'll be kinder." There was a vein on his temple that stood out while he spoke. He was strained, making Laxus believe he truly _didn't_ have a taste for this. But he was doing it anyway.

"The payoff for my lacrima must be pretty good, huh? I don't believe there's any 'secret operations' military bullshit. Pockets are being greased, promotions are being offered for promises that you've been handing out."

Randen didn't respond.

"That's it, isn't it? Fuck, you're pathetic. You want the cash out but you're sweating."

Lisanna still hadn't _moved._ She'd stopped screaming, though. ' _Cause she's gone_? He still wasn't brave enough to look. _Can't be. She's there_. "Go, Lisanna! Hurry it up."

Randen seemed to realize he'd gone lax. More power came from his staff. Lisanna cried again, louder and more pain-filled than before, proving she was alive. This time, Laxus couldn't help but look over his shoulder. In the light offered by his magic, he saw Lisanna's skin raised in angry red blisters on the verge of popping. Her neck and her arms bore the worst of it. Maybe. Who knew what her skin was doing beneath her sweater?

 _Do something._

Randen gritted his teeth, preparing for what came next; Laxus followed suit and lunged, fists raised. Randen stopped his coming assault by blocking with his staff. The magic that had been assaulting Lisanna faded. Laxus hoped that meant he was distracted and she was using the opportunity to run. There was no chance to check, he was busy dodging one of Randen's swipes. The staff hit one of the drooping stalactites and set it to resonating with the residual magic the weapon carried. How many spells had he vampired the power from and stuffed into his weapon? Enough that the magic bleeding from it made Laxus' teeth ache.

He skated below another controlled swing and delivered a kick from a crouching position that connected with Randen's lower abdomen. The man curled around the area and stumbled back. Laxus came upright and moved in again, fists raised and barren of any spell, wary of that ring. There wasn't any sense giving the man _more_ firepower to take him out with. An uppercut was dodged, a right hook blocked.

"You have been training hard," Randen said when he could. "Ivan said you were rather exceptional when you tried."

He thought, _doesn't matter what your old man thinks,_ when he tried to get hung up on the words. Reality kept him from relishing in his father's approval: he was, in fact, a lab rat and had been for years.

Angry all over again, Laxus came in with a low left hook, aiming for Randen's ribs. As soon as the man brought his staff down to block it, Laxus came around from the right and caught him in the cheek, once, twice. His knuckles ached, loudly voicing their protest. Randen's face split, dark blood running over his skin.

Laxus went in for a third strike, thinking he was doing pretty good, when the floor went out from beneath him again. He didn't have time to swear, spinning in that darkness. He was spat out again at Randen's feet and felt just as sick and disoriented as he did the _first_ time he tumbled through one of those portals. With a watering mouth, he lamented that the effect was cumulative.

"You're right, Laxus. I don't want to kill you, but no one will blame me for making you more compliant." Randen punctuated his words with a steel-toed boot in Laxus' ribs. And another. The breath was knocked from Laxus' lungs. He let his lightning coat his skin. The next time contact was made, Randen was hit. The result was the same as before, the magic raced through his body, doing minimal damage before it was gathered up into his ring and then focused into his staff. Laxus expected to be hit with the weapon, surely it would be more effective, but Randen seemed content to keep on kicking. He curled in on himself with the third blow, feeling a familiar ache in the bones that already knew what it was to break. It wasn't long after that they _popped._

 _Fuck._ Enraged, reliving the last time he'd been on the ground and someone was laying into him like this, he grabbed Randen's leg and let his magic come, wave after wave. Clothes burned, so did hair, skin. Randen's teeth ground together, he yelled. He _never fucking fell,_ though. The ring on his finger flared, his staff _spurt_ magical energy and all he did was collect. Laxus felt his chest ache and knew his lacrima was protesting, on the verge of fracture. While the feeling was debilitating and only made him want to vomit more, it also cleared his mind.

Magic coursed through his body, amplified by his lacrima. More and more and more. He pushed on even when black spots appeared in front of his eyes. He kept on even when he _heard_ his lacrima splinter. A little bit more and it would break completely.

 _You'll die._

But he wouldn't be a lab rat.

There was so much magical energy being pushed into Randen's body and then being collected by his ring, the air hummed with it.

 _A little more._

Intuiting what he was trying to do, Randen swore and tried to back up. Laxus wouldn't let go, pushing on past the point where his body burned and his vision doubled, tripled. Lightning struck rock, attracted to trace metals, it rolled across the floor, moving through puddles, it jumped erratically and lit the place up like fireworks ignited the sky every year at the Fantasia Parade.

 _More._

"You'll break the lacrima," Randen hollered. "Stop!"

He couldn't.

 _Keep going_.

A portal started at his feet, trying to drag him down and break his hold. Laxus pushed that little bit more, knowing if Randen succeeded, they'd be back to square one.

 _More._

Lightning scorched the rock all around them. Randen screamed.

And then

As Laxus hoped

Randen's ring cracked.

Then broke.

All of the magic it'd been holding gushed out like water spewing from a dam, filling the cavern, a storm.

It was too much.

Randen fell.

Laxus could barely draw breath but he wouldn't be satisfied until Randen was no longer a threat. He dragged himself to the man's downed body in amongst all of the _pops_ and _bangs_ and _crashes_ of spell after spell being released all around him, illuminating the place in various colours, in various ways, and grabbed Randen's throat and squeezed, and as he squeezed, his lightning did him one last service.

By the time he was done, the smell of charred meat made him want to gag.

Laxus passed out instead.

* * *

Lisanna's entry into the cave cost Mira. She was distracted by her little sister, and _anxious—_ not only because it seemed Elfman wasn't with her, but Lisanna wasn't safe there, not by a long shot.

Tani saw the girl the same time Mira did and knew just what to do. He sprang for her. Mira let instinct guide her—there wasn't much else, fear had taken her over and skill had gone out the window. Wings carried her to her target just a _split second_ faster than Tani, meaning she was there to intersect. Tani hit her like a ton of bricks instead of Lisanna, and yes, his body was just as molten hot as Mira had feared. Demon scales protected her some. Not enough. Hell, it wasn't nearly enough. Bits of super-heated stone clung to her arms, her belly, leaving her with burns that turned her skin dead white. She would scar if she survived.

That didn't matter to Mira. What mattered was that she and Tani spilled end over end _away_ from a screaming Lisanna. What mattered was that Tani ended up on the ground beneath her. What mattered was that now she had the upper hand, no matter _how brief_ that lasted, she was going to _take it_. She clutched both hands together above her head and brought them down in a sweeping arc, a ball of black magic spewing from her entangled fingers. She hit Tani squarely in the chest and felt him shudder.

 _Yes_ , she thought, seeing the stone his body was made from crack. Her elation evaporated in a flood of flame.

Of course demons lied. Of course Tani wouldn't dampen his power and give her the advantage forever. She felt like a fool. A burning one. Tani's flames were even hotter than she remembered. _Stupid. He wants to kill you, after all._

Mira released him and rolled back, getting to her feet just as soon as she was able. She was mostly blisters and singed hair, singed clothing. Her lungs protested that bout of flame. She dared to chance a look to Lisanna as Tani got to his feet, hurt as well.

Lisanna watched them with wide eyes, her hand clenched into a fist and brought to her mouth where she used it to stifle whatever vocalization she'd been tempted to make. Mira opened her mouth to tell her to run; fire came for the girl, too quickly for Mira to stop. Lisanna dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding getting burned to death. Her sweater wasn't as lucky, the sleeve catching flame badly enough that Lisanna shook her arm wildly to put it out, yelling.

Tani laughed.

Mira attacked with a noxious ball of black magic. He wasn't laughing so much when his side was nicked away at, more like stone than skin. He stumbled and fell. Slowly, between calling her a flurry of terrible things, he got back to his feet.

"Run, Lisanna," Mira yelled above Tani's viciousness while she had a second to do so. "Get out of here. Tell Master Makarov—"

"Come with me!" Lisanna commanded. "Hurry, Mira!"

She wished she could run. But running now meant that Tani won. It meant that she'd be running for the rest of her life. It also meant leaving Laxus behind, and she couldn't.

Tani was on his feet, engulfed in flames so hot, the air was _humid_ , the walls sweated. And then they got dry. Mira's skin ached, taut. The demon came for her, fire now and nothing like a man. Mira met flames with a blast of power so strong that in its wake, she felt empty. The spell hit. Tani extinguished, throwing the cave into darkness again. And silence. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Except Lisanna.

"Mira? Mira, are you there?"

Mira turned, seeking the girl in the gloom. "I'm here, Lisanna."

"Is he dead?"

 _Dead?_ "I… I don't know."

Hot pressed into her back, and a mouth into her ear. " _Of course not."_ His voice was the sound of the earth grinding together. It was from her nightmares. She was paralyzed as he wrapped his arms around her, one hand cinching on her throat, the other around her ribs. And then she was burning, burning so bright. So hot. Her scales cracked, her Satan Soul was getting away from her.

 _And then you'll just be a girl and you'll burn to ash. And Lisanna will, too. And you won't have to fight anymore. You'll be free._

 _You'll be giving up._

 _You can't. So fight._

That option was quickly being denied to her. All Mira could feel was pain, all she could see was red. _Just like the night Mom and Dad died. Except now you die, too_. Her magic was trying to get away from her. It was trying to disappear _and_ it was trying to take control.

 _You're losing it._

She didn't want to be a slave to her magic, out of control and mindless.

 _What if it's the only way?_

Her skin roiled.

And then Mira heard Lisanna's voice lifted into something that could only be dubbed a battle cry. Tani jolted behind Mira. His flames sputtered, dulling back to a more manageable size. Mira collapsed and scrabbled out from between his arms, choking and gasping for air. She didn't let herself stay that way, she got up to her knees and found Lisanna. She stood over Tani with a rock held between two hands that shook. A rock that was now dotted with red blood. Demon blood. The girl looked like she was going to faint. She was all soot and sweat stained, she was red cheeked. She was fury. And she was going for Tani again, rock raised with the intention to kill.

Mira stumbled to her feet, pulling her Satan Soul around her body again, determined to do this one thing so Lisanna didn't have to carry _this_ burden on her as well. A demon was a demon. But a life was still a life. She was already too marred by Tani after her involvement in Silas' murder. No more.

Mira pushed Lisanna aside with great force just as Tani was starting to get his bearings again. She had seconds to get this right. Lisanna fell back, dropping the rock, and Mira took her place, coming to her knees at the demon's side. Ignoring the flames flickering on his peculiar skin, getting hotter, getting brighter, Mira grabbed him by the temples and looked into his pit-like eyes. All she saw there was hate. She was burning again, worse than before. She couldn't feel her fingers. Or her wrists as Tani grabbed them, forcing her to stay exactly where she was.

She didn't scream or fight to get away.

Before Mira let her Satan Soul loose from the tight grasp she always had to have on it, she told Tani, "Now we're both free."

Her magic took over.

* * *

" _Is he dead?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _"You don't know?"_

 _"That's what I said."_

 _"Why are you our medical advisor if you can't tell me if he's dead or not? Seems like a_ basic _skill."_

" _Makarov. You have three seconds to get_ away _and find something more useful to do with yourself. Check on the Strauss girl or something."_

Something incomprehensible was murmured. Boots splashed through water beside Laxus' head. A relieved breath was let go, and then unforgiving fingers poked into Laxus' side.

Given how foggy he felt, Laxus thought he'd have trouble opening his eyes, but as soon as the poking started, his lids came up and a cuss came out of his mouth with a vengeance.

"Mind your tongue."

He blinked and blinked, trying to bring Porlyusica into view. He _knew_ it was her, there was only one person in the world that perpetually sounded as gravelly and cranky as she; he still wanted affirmation. Finally, with great effort, he was able to focus on something: a small bead of light. _A lamp,_ he thought. Once he identified that, everything else became easier, he started seeing shapes. _Stalactites, stalagmites. Randen's scorched corpse_. There was no smoke coming from him; they'd been there for some time. Not only that, but it was feet away now instead of directly beside him. He'd been moved. Porlyusica bent into the light, illuminating a lock of shockingly pink hair, her lined and freckled face. She didn't look at him, focusing on his ribs.

Laxus croaked, "Where's Mira?"

"She's being looked after."

"She's alright?"

"Burned," was her vague response.

 _Burned._ That could mean so many things. "Bad?"

Instead of answering again, she pressed down on one particularly sore segment of rib. Laxus yelled, seeing stars.

"You broke them again," she decreed.

"Well, no shit, you don't say?" His breathy snarl earned him another one of Porlyusica's severe looks.

She seemed to take pleasure from saying, "They're just as bad as before. No activity for weeks. But what I'm interested in is this lacrima…" She tapped his chest mercilessly. "Makarov said you were letting your father dabble in experimental magic on you, but I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself."

Laxus ground his teeth together. "That hurts." Worse than his ribs, if that was fucking possible.

"I hope so; it'll remind you of how stupid you are in case you forget."

Hell. "It's not always going to feel like that, is it?" There was an annoying whine in his voice he didn't much care for. It couldn't be helped.

"I can't say. I need to do some more research, and some tests."

He was a lab rat all over again. He was out of anger. All he wanted to do was just lie there until he rotted. He had no energy for anything. Except, maybe, to ask, "Lisanna?"

"She's the one that told us where to find you. Elfman stumbled back into the guild looking like a drowned and frozen rat, raving about a portal, but we had no leads. Until Lisanna burst in, crying about demons and Mira."

Good. That was good. Laxus sighed and closed his eyes.

"May I ask who the corpse is?"

He laughed and pressed his hands into his lids. The movement made everything scream. He did it anyway. Everything was a fucking mess. And getting messier. Voices came through the rock to his ears, ones he didn't recognize.

"Where is he?"

"I think you'll have to be more specific than that." That was Gramps.

"Split up, search the area. Think of him as armed and dangerous."

 _Hell,_ Laxus thought and started to roll over.

"Where do you think you're going?" Porlyusica asked. "Stay where you are, Laxus. You're not well."

No. Fuck no, he wasn't. As soon as he moved he wanted to throw up. He wanted to go to jail even less. Up he got, grunting and huffing like a hippo.

"Laxus Dreyar, sit _down_ ," Porlyusica hissed. "I need to bind your ribs; I need to—"

The voices got closer and closer. Laxus looked indecisively around the cave, searching for a way out and seeing none but the way he entered. Which was the exact same way that was _blocked_ by men in council uniforms. Guard. And not just any guard, the Magic Enforcement Unit's guard.

"Got him in here, Captain Lahar."

"What is this?" Porlyusica demanded while Laxus backed up, looking for a place to go. His back hit a stalactite, pulling him up short.

A man wearing a Captain's insignia shuffled through the passage. "Good work, men. Laxus Dreyar, you are under arrest for the murder of your guild mate Kurohebi, put your hands before you and prepare—" He trailed off, seeing the body just feet away. It wasn't until he focused on the staff and the ring that he made his judgment. "Is that Lieutenant Randen?"

Laxus didn't know what to say so he said nothing. It seemed safer.

Lahar's eyes flashed, his mouth got tight and serious. "You're under arrest for _his_ murder as well. Put your wrists together." He came forward brandishing not a pair of cuffs but magic. Light purple runes appeared on Laxus' wrists before he could decide what to do, tying them together more effectively than any chain might. More runes appeared on his chest, completely immobilizing him. His voice got caught in his throat.

"What's going on in here?" Another figure piled into the cave.

 _Gramps._ Laxus couldn't look at him.

Lahar addressed him. "Your grandson is being taken into custody for the murder of two men."

"Absurd," Makarov spat.

"Open your eyes." Lahar brimmed with rage, pointing at Randen. "The wounds on his body are _identical_ to the ones discovered on Kurohebi's. They are caused by lightning magic, the same magic used by Laxus Dreyar. Or do you deny?"

Makarov wasn't easily satiated. "If he killed this man, it was in defense."

"You can't know that."

"You can't know that he didn't."

Lahar scowled.

"Why was he here without his unit?" Makarov pushed, trying to shed logic on the situation. "I told the council weeks ago that they had corruption in their midst but my complaints went ignored."

"I read your report," Lahar replied in a more reasonable way. "And I made my recommendations. It was taken out of my hands and passed to Lieutenant Randen."

Makarov looked like the cat that ate the canary. "This is the price of your negligence. My grandson was forced to protect himself when the council would do _nothing_."

Lahar shook his head. "While these events deserve scrutiny, I must take him into custody."

Makarov said, "You will do no such thing."

"I agree," Porlyusica chimed. "He needs medical attention."

"We have doctors in our facility," Lahar said. "He'll be taken care of." He stepped forward and grabbed Laxus by the elbow. "This way, Mr. Dreyar." As soon as the contact was made, Laxus could move again. The plug that had been in his throat disappeared.

Makarov voiced his opinion loudly and stood in the way. "Release him at once."

"If you do not _move_ , Mr. Dreyar, you will be arrested as well," Lahar threatened.

He looked so set.

"It's alright, Gramps," Laxus spoke finally to save them all a little embarrassment. "You don't want to get involved."

"Like hell I don't," Makarov said. "If they're falsely accusing you, Laxus, you don't have to go in."

Laxus just looked at him, unable to say his grandfather was wrong _and_ unable to say that he was right. His grandfather saw everything in that look; he was sure of it. Makarov's expression went dull, then edged with disappointment and a hint of betrayal.

"Silence is best," Lahar said. "Though I don't think it'll help, Laxus."

* * *

The Master's office was smokier than usual. Mira withstood it. She had worse discomforts than tight lungs. Her tight skin, for one. Everything was burned, raised in ugly blisters on some places, razed past that point in others. She was head to toe in bandages. Porlyusica thought she could keep the scarring to a minimum with a lot of effort.

Mira almost didn't care.

Nearly.

"You can't _leave_ him in there, Master."

"He's killed two men, Mirajane," Makarov replied tiredly.

"So what?"

"So what?" He kept his back to her as he looked out to the melting world. It had been a week since Tani's attack and in that time, the river had opened up and the snow had begun to change to water. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask that."

"Laxus told me everything," she said, betraying him to help him. "Kurohebi was an accident. It wasn't his fault. His magic was _changed_ , and Randen—you heard what Laxus said during his statement. Randen and Councillor Crawford were working with Tani. They wanted to cut him up like a piece of meat and take that lacrima for _money_. Can you blame him for killing that man?"

Makarov puffed on his pipe. "I am not the law."

"No, but you're Master of Fairy Tail. And you're his grandfather."

His shoulders got tight. She'd struck a nerve. "We have nothing to stand on, Mirajane. Randen is dead and Councillor Crawford has been cleared of any involvement. Ivan… he pled that he was lured and tricked by demons in the interest of saving Laxus' life. We have _nothing._ "

"You don't seriously _believe_ that? Someone's covering up," Mira insisted. "And Laxus is paying for it."

"All I have are suppositions and a weakening foundation," Makarov snapped.

"You haven't even _tried_ ," Mira pushed.

And that was that. "Leave."

She didn't ask if he meant his office or the guild, afraid of the answer.

* * *

Staring out of a dingy cell that smelled of sweat, toward a grey wall for seven days was _boring_. The kind of boring that made a man consider drastic measures for a change of scenery. Laxus was in the process of deciding how to instigate the pudgy guard assigned to him into an altercation that may earn him a little walk through the cavernous _pit_ the council called a jail, when the sound of feet descending the dank, winding stairwell caught his attention. He stood straight mostly because it hurt like hell to sit, and watched Captain Lahar come into view.

The man looked just as tidy as ever, with his hair pulled back and his glasses on straight, the coat on his shoulders pressed and washed and completely _crisp_.

Too fucking prim. That's how he looked.

Laxus glared at him. And kept on that way until Lahar said, "Open the cell, Hasting. Mr. Dreyar is being released."

 _Released?_ Just when he was starting to go stir crazy. ( _It's been a goddamn week_ ). Of hell. Staring at the same wall with the same scratch marks, being ignored by the same guards, eating the same slop they called food, getting prodded at by a doctor even crasser than Porlyusica. _Released._ "I am?" Maybe it was a prank.

Lahar pushed his glasses up on his straight nose. "Yes. The gate, Hastings."

The pudgy guard shook himself, apparently just as surprised, and came forward with his keys brandished.

"…Why?" Laxus asked over the sound of metal jangling over metal.

"Someone has confessed to the murder of Kurohebi, clearing your involvement, and it seems you were correct about Randen, he was in fact working with demons. We found several incriminating communications carried out between him and a creature that called itself Tani."

The cell opened wide, metal squealing. Laxus just stood there, processing. "Who confessed to Kurohebi's murder?"

"That's confidential."

Interesting.

Lahar said, "Usually when I release a captive, they're a little more willing to leave, Mr. Dreyar. Would you like to stay in prison?"

Laxus took a tentative step toward the open door, half expecting the bars to slam in his face again. They did not.

"Councillor Crawford has requested an audience," Lahar said as soon as his feet hit the concrete floor on the 'outside'.

"With me?"

"That's correct."

Well that was unexpected. One of the wheels wanted to talk to the rat running in his maze.

"He wants to see you in his office."

"Unconventional."

"Councillor Crawford Seam is an unconventional man," Lahar muttered.

"Did he say what he wanted?" Laxus asked.

"No. This way. We'll gather your things—your father was kind enough to drop off some clothes for you upon hearing of your release."

"My Dad did?" He didn't know how he felt about that.

"Yes." Lahar was all business. "You can visit the showers before you meet with the Councillor."

That was a polite way of saying he smelled and looked like a bag of shit. He felt like one, too, so it was no surprise.

* * *

Crawford Seam had an office that was large and bright, adorned with expensive furniture that held expensive baubles, all lit up by expensive lamps and expensive overhead lights. It was opulent, a fat lifestyle for a fat and opulent man.

He sat at his desk, a mandarin in hand, fingers wet with the juice. He smiled when he saw Laxus and dropped the three plump slices of fruit to his desk. He wiped his hand on the front of his white councillor's robe and stuck it out when he deemed it dry. " _Mr. Dreyar._ " Even his voice was thick.

Laxus looked at his hand but didn't take it. "Councillor."

He dropped his hand but not his smile, showing off his gapped teeth and reducing his bulbous eyes from the size of globe grapes to blueberries. "Come in and close the door behind yourself. How are you keeping? I hear you took some damage from Mr. Randen. You look well, though."

Not all that great. The jail's 'doctors' left a lot to be desired, and his lacrima was still not quite right. Panging erratically when he least expected it. Laxus closed the door. "I'm fine."

"Of course. You look like the kind of lad that bounces back." He pressed his sausage-like fingers into the pale wood of his desk. "Won't you sit?"

Laxus looked at the overstuffed leather chair the councilmen offered and shook his head. Not only just _no,_ he didn't think he could get up without betraying how sore he was. "No, thanks."

Crawford sat his bulk back in his chair, sending the mechanism to squealing. "You're a tough nut."

"Can we cut the bullshit? Why am I here?"

The man stuck out his lip, considering. "I wanted to make sure you didn't harbour any ill-will. That was awful business Randen dragged my name—and your father's—into Slanderous."

Laxus just stared at him.

"Desperate men tell desperate lies, though, all in the name of lessening their burdens."

"Are you saying you had nothing to do with this?" Laxus finally managed.

"Quite so. Insulting to suggest otherwise. Preposterous. And hurtful." He sweated and looked around nervously, telling Laxus everything he needed to know.

"You're a shitty liar."

"Cora Wren confessed to the murder of that young man," Crawford said, dodging the accusation. More quietly, he added, "Your father backed up your story in tandem with that confession, and it was deemed your killing Lieutenant Randen was purely in self-defence. Congratulations on being a free man, Laxus Dreyar."

Freedom left an acrid taste in his mouth.

* * *

Laxus' ass was numb. The bench he sat on was made from slats of cold metal that did very little for comfort. He'd watched two trains go by already. It had been two hours and forty-three minutes since he'd walked out of the Magic Council, and now…

Now he didn't know where to go.

Now he train spotted and imagined what he'd do in a place like Crocus, or Clover or the large city of Rainfall. Or maybe, he was tired of the city life and he'd go to the country. There was still work for mages out there. Or maybe he'd just tool around, seeing whatever, doing whatever, whenever.

There was no plan.

He'd go as far as his meager amount of cash would take him, and then he'd figure it out. He'd always figured _something_ out before.

"That's two trains you've let go by."

Laxus didn't look at his grandfather as the old man lifted himself up onto the bench. He was so damn short. Laxus didn't even know _how._ It wasn't like any of the other Dreyar men were afflicted that way.

"Are you going to board or are you just going to stare?"

"I'm thinking," Laxus replied.

Makarov sat back more, thinner-than-ever shoulder knocking into Laxus' bicep. "What do young men think about, watching trains roll by? I used to know."

"About where I'm going to go," Laxus said after a moment, seeing yet _another_ train pull into the station. Huge puffs of white smoke poured out of its chimney and got lost amongst the grey early-spring clouds. It would be another fifteen minutes until the train left again. Maybe he'd have an answer by then.

"To Raven Tail?"

His answer was immediate and sure. "No." It didn't matter _what_ lies his father told for him or his intentions as he told them. Forgiveness was a wick that had burned itself out.

"Then what is your plan, Laxus?"

He focused hard on the curled metal that made up the train's wheels and admitted, "I don't have one."

"A man without a plan is listless. He'll get taken out by the tide."

It felt like that tide was already dragging him out and had been for some time. Laxus said nothing.

"…Fairy Tail's S Class trials are beginning soon."

"Yeah."

"Mirajane is competing. Despite her injuries."

"Mira's always been dogged." Driven, for sure. Killing her childhood nightmare apparently hadn't changed that one bit.

"She still seeks the demon that murdered Silas Grant. She's worried about Lisanna and Elfman. I'm not confident she has anything to fear."

No, not the She Devil.

Makarov hesitated before saying, "She's been hounding me about you for the last week. Non stop. She's driving me to drink."

Laxus smiled despite himself.

"She wants you to come back to Fairy Tail."

 _Fairy Tail._ Laxus heard himself say, "It's your guild. What do you want, old man?"

"There is a spot for you, if you choose."

"You know, Lahar was right. Kurohebi—"

"Mirajane told me."

Laxus exhaled loudly. Damn Mira.

"We can't see what's ahead of us if we're constantly looking over our shoulder," Makarov said. "You can choose to wallow or you can choose to live. What will it be?"

"Live, I guess," he said.

"Good. Any other answer would cheapen my efforts to bring you home."

"Efforts?" What the hell did that mean?

Unanswering, Makarov shimmied off the bench. Laxus looked at the old man for the first time. He was bundled up in a white fur-trimmed coat, his nose and cheeks red. He'd been outside for some time. _Waiting._ He rubbed his wrinkled and cold-chapped hands together. "Let's go, boy, my ass is numb and Porlyusica is irritating me, looking for you. She has a few ideas about fixing and maintaining that lacrima."

More poking and prodding and torturing. He didn't know how he felt about _that_ either. His grandfather read him well.

"You want to be in good condition for the S Class Trials, don't you?"

"…Yeah."

"Then quit moping and let's get moving." He started away with the expectation that Laxus would follow. He did, eventually, when he'd decided he was sick of looking over his shoulder.

* * *

A/N:

Ugh. Writing action is _exhausting_. Like, so draining. And this took me forever? How? How has it taken me _longer_ than Sweet-Rot? _How?_

Anyway. Thanks for reading. It's been… a pleasure? Actually, this has been the most difficult story I've written in awhile.

No more fucking rewrites.

No more.

I don't have anymore stories _to_ rewrite. I've done them all.

In other news…

Guys…

I think…

I think I'm going to write a Wendy x Doranbolt fic in Wendy's future so it's not super weird.

And…

I think it's going to be kind of like Noir. Like, Mafioso, dangerous, full of duplicity and double-cross. And

And…

And I'm a little bit excited.

But mostly… I just never want to look at another Fanfic again.

I will. Likely. Considering I started a Penchant for Sin.

Speaking of that. While writing this final chapter, I was possessed to write an (incredibly) short fic for Porlyusica. Crazy, right? Right. You should check it out, you'll find it on SleeplessComplication's page.

It's been a riot.

Maybe check back for an epilogue? Maybe. I might be satisfied with this.


End file.
